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Residents press Pasadena council on missing police records and transparency during public comment
Summary
Multiple public commenters at the April 21 Pasadena City Council meeting urged greater transparency from the police department, reporting unfulfilled Texas Public Information Act requests and alleging missing records and booking photos in cases they say require review.
At the April 21 Pasadena City Council meeting, several residents used the public-comment period to press city officials about allegedly missing police records and slow responses to Texas Public Information Act requests.
Eric Sanchez, a public commenter, said he has been "making several TPIA requests for the past 2 years" and that the responses have not answered his questions. Sanchez alleged that records tied to cases including Derek Deal and Bruce Wayne Parker — specifically body-camera photos and booking photos — were not available, and he told the council that five incarcerated people found hanging at the Pasadena jail lacked corresponding public records in the city's response. He referenced the law firm Lewis Brisbois when describing the handling of some requests and said, "he took his statement and it's nowhere," referring to a detective's statement he said was missing from the record.
Perry Matlock followed, telling the council he was speaking about a single officer he described as a "wrongdoer," and said he would continue to speak publicly when he believed wrongdoing occurred. Matlock said the department has improved over the decades but urged vigilance against corruption.
Robert Jeter made broader, more pointed allegations about outside influences, urging the council to "discontinue all deals with Harris County Precinct 2" and to pass a resolution he characterized as consistent with U.S. policy on not negotiating with terrorism after alleging ties between a county official and a group he labeled a "terrorism supporter." Jeter told the council he had recorded encounters he said supported his claims and urged local accountability; the mayor had previously warned commenters about the council's rules on slanderous or defamatory statements.
Council members did not take immediate formal action addressing the specific public-record claims during the meeting; the public-comment period concluded with the meeting proceeding to proclamations and consent items. The meeting’s public-comment rules and admonitions about defamation were read aloud before comments began.
The council later moved on to agenda business, including a set of consent motions and resolutions. A formal executive session on legal matters and contemplated litigation was held after the business portion of the meeting.
