A Pasadena police sergeant has walked away from the job while still under an active internal investigation, city officials confirmed Friday, leaving the department to sort out a surveillance controversy without him on the payroll.
The probe centers on allegations that the sergeant improperly tapped into the department’s Flock Safety license-plate-reader system to keep tabs on a fellow officer, according to a Pasadena city council member who spoke with local reporters. Police say the internal review will move forward anyway, resignation or not.
City Council Member Emmanuel Guerrero told reporters he believes the case focuses on suspected misuse of the department’s Flock account and that the system itself flagged repeated searches tied to the officer’s credentials, triggering the review, as reported by KPRC Click2Houston. "Based on what we gathered, [he] was using our camera system, our Flock system, to track and stalk a female officer," Guerrero told the station.
In a statement to the same outlet, Pasadena Police Department media personnel confirmed the sergeant resigned while the internal investigation remained active and said the probe "will continue in accordance with legal requirements until it reaches its conclusion." The department declined to share further specifics while the case is open. The officer at the center of the inquiry has been identified in public records as Sgt. Michael Palitz, listed in the City of Pasadena staff directory as a day-shift patrol sergeant.
Chief Declines To Discuss Pending Personnel Matter
Police Chief M.P. Jackson told KPRC he could not talk about pending cases when approached at a Civil Service Commission meeting this month, and the department has offered no additional public detail about the investigation. KPRC reporters say they requested Palitz’s personnel records and received a heavily redacted file. Officials also said they had no information to provide about any criminal referral or involvement by the Harris County District Attorney at the time of publication.
What The Flock System Does
Flock Safety markets its cameras as automated license-plate readers that capture vehicle details such as plate numbers, make, model and color, then store that information in a searchable database for investigations. The company stresses that searches are logged and audit-ready and that the technology is meant to identify vehicles rather than people, according to Flock Safety.
Why Audits Can Matter
Audits of access to license-plate-reader systems have uncovered misuse in other places and, in some cases, have ended with criminal charges. In Albany, Georgia, officials said an internal audit exposed repeated improper searches and led to the arrest of five former officers on accusations tied to misuse of license-plate data, a case detailed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Legal And Administrative Stakes
Resigning from a department does not automatically shut down an internal review, and agencies can complete their findings or send a case out for criminal investigation even after an employee leaves. Pasadena police told reporters their inquiry will continue under applicable legal requirements. At the time of publication, there was no public indication that criminal charges had been filed in this matter. The Georgia arrests highlight that improper use of surveillance tools can bring both departmental discipline and criminal consequences elsewhere.
Local Reaction And Next Steps
Guerrero said the allegations are especially troubling because residents expect police to use surveillance technology to protect the public, not to target co-workers or community members. City leaders and the department have been pressed for records and comment; KPRC reported that Mayor Thomas Schoenbein and several council members were contacted, but only some responded and then with limited information. Pasadena’s Civil Service Commission and other municipal oversight channels could be the next public forums where the case surfaces.
As of publication, the outlet that first reported the resignation said it had reached out to Sgt. Palitz for comment and had not received a response. The department reiterated that it would not discuss details of an open personnel investigation. We will update this report if the city or the department releases additional information.
