Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Accountability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents tell city council of alleged historic police misconduct; call for investigation
Summary
Several public commenters told the Pasadena City Council on April 7 that past police misconduct — including allegations of planted evidence and mishandled deaths — went unaddressed. Speakers urged the council not to let a rules change limit community oversight.
Several Pasadena residents used the council’s public-comment period on April 7 to allege historic misconduct by local police officers and to press the City Council to allow continued public scrutiny.
Eric Sanchez told the council he was raising concerns on behalf of families who believe deaths in the 1980s and 1990s were not properly investigated, saying a lead detective in those cases should answer questions. “This is reprehensible,” Sanchez said, arguing that the proposed changes to council rules could “completely upend my efforts to helping people like her.”
Perry Dale Matlock accused a named officer of repeatedly planting narcotics on him during arrests, saying the incidents happened “three times” and that he has no confidence the department addressed them. “He was corrupt,” Matlock said of the officer he named.
Clarence Michael McDuff (who also used the name “McNet”) said he could prove inconsistencies in police recordings and alleged officials edited tapes in his case; he urged the council to review evidence he said is available. Janet Harris recounted her brother Marvin William Harris’s repeated harassment by officers and said she believes his death was mischaracterized, adding that it took years to obtain images of his body.
Speakers repeatedly named a detective variously rendered in comments as Gerald McPadden, McFadden or McFaden. The transcript contains multiple spellings; commenters described him as the lead investigator in cases they disputed. None of the public commenters identified any current council or department action that resolved those allegations during the meeting.
Robert Jeter, speaking later in the public-comment period, cited the Texas Open Meetings Act and urged the mayor to enforce meeting rules to prevent disruptions but did not address the specific misconduct claims. No department official presented evidence refuting or substantiating the allegations during the meeting, and the council did not announce an investigation in response to the comments.
The council took no formal action on the allegations during the meeting. The public-comments segment ended when the council moved to scheduled agenda items, including presentations and ordinance readings.
