Pasadena City Council members addressed growing concerns over the police department’s use of Flock Safety cameras during Tuesday night’s meeting, days after it was reported that a police sergeant resigned while under an active internal investigation.
Councilmember Carlos Heredia Sr. told the council that “Recent reports involving some alleged misuse of city Flock cameras have further eroded the public’s confidence.”
“These are serious allegations that demand transparency and accountability,” he added.
Heredia said residents deserve to know what changes are being made to restore trust and keep officers focused on public safety.
“The increased scrutiny in our department has increased, and our residents deserve to know what changes are being made to ensure the trust and to ensure that officers are focused on fighting crime, not losing the public’s confidence,” he said. He added that his concern is with departmental priorities, not the officers themselves. “Let me be clear, I do support the hardworking men and women of the Pasadena Police Department, and my concern is with priorities of the department. District A deserves proactive policing, safer streets and a police department that’s focused on protecting our families and holding criminals accountable.”
The issue also came up during public comment, where one speaker criticized Councilmember Emmanuel Guerrero for discussing the Flock controversy publicly but not raising it during council meetings when police were present. “It’s kind of sad to see you on the news talking about Flock but not bringing it up here. It’s kind of funny that you’ll talk about police misconduct when there’s no police present, but then when they are present you don’t bring it up.” The speaker called on the city to remove the Flock cameras and terminate its contract with the company, and Pasadena police officers later escorted him out of the meeting after he used profanity.
The controversy stems from last week’s report that Pasadena police Sgt. Michael Palitz resigned while under an active internal investigation. Guerrero said he believes the investigation centered on allegations that Palitz improperly accessed the city’s Flock license plate reader system to monitor another officer. “Based on what we gathered, [he] was using our camera system, our Flock system, to track and stalk a female officer,” Guerrero said.
Guerrero has also provided additional detail on the timeline. He said Palitz was first investigated for misusing the camera system in March 2025, resulting in a suspension. The officer was reinstated in August 2025. A second investigation opened in January 2026 and ultimately led to Palitz’s resignation this month.
Guerrero described the matter as involving two potential felonies: misuse of the system in violation of public trust laws, and the stalking or following of a fellow officer, which he said is itself a felony under the law. Palitz has not been charged with a crime.
Pasadena Police Sgt. April Ontiveros, with the department’s Media Relations office, confirmed the resignation in a statement earlier this month. “Yes, he resigned while under investigation. Regardless of his employment status, our investigation will continue in accordance with legal requirements until it reaches its conclusion. Additionally, our department does not release information on open/active personnel investigations to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
The department has not disclosed further details, and it remains unclear whether the matter has been referred to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
The Pasadena case adds to a broader statewide debate over potential misuse of Flock cameras.
State Rep. Mitch Little has said he intends to examine the issue ahead of next year’s legislative session, noting that Flock’s software captures far more than license plates, including bumper stickers, decals, and vehicle modifications. Law enforcement agencies are not required to obtain a warrant to access Flock’s database.
At the federal level, U.S. Rep. Keith Self has introduced the PRIVACY Act, which would require federal law enforcement to obtain a warrant before accessing state and local automatic license plate reader data, including Flock’s.
The bill, cosponsored by Reps. Eli Crane and Andrew Clyde, would also cap data retention at 30 days unless tied to an active prosecution and bar federal funds from being used to purchase the technology. According to Self’s office, more than 120,000 ALPR cameras have been installed across 49 states, tracking vehicles more than a billion times per day.
The misuse allegations raised in Pasadena mirror cases reported elsewhere. In Wisconsin, a former Milwaukee police officer resigned after using Flock cameras to track a former love interest nearly 180 times, while a Menasha police officer and a Kenosha County sheriff’s deputy separately face allegations of using the system to monitor a romantic partner and a coworker.
