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Controversies and incidents
Over the years, the Pasadena Police Department has been connected to several incidents involving excessive force and racial profiling:

Death of Kendrec McDade
On the evening of March 24, 2012, a 19-year-old Black man named Kendrec McDade was fatally shot by two white Pasadena police officers in northwest Pasadena. The officers, Matthew Griffin and Jeffery Newlen, were responding to a 911 emergency caller who claimed that he had been robbed at gunpoint by two armed men. The 911 caller, Oscar Carrillo-Gonzalez, later admitted to lying about seeing a weapon in order to get a more urgent police response, and served 90 days in jail for the false report. Although McDade was unarmed and not involved in the theft, he was mistaken as a suspect when he was spotted on the same street that the robbery occurred. According to police reports, when the officers began their chase, McDade ran away, and the officers continued their pursuit both on foot and in their patrol car. At some point during the pursuit, McDade turned and ran back towards the patrol car. Griffin, in the driver's seat of the car and believing that McDade was reaching for a gun, shot at McDade four times at close range. Upon hearing the gunshots, Newlen, on foot behind the car, shot at McDade an additional four times. Paramedics were called while McDade, prone and dying on the street, was handcuffed and searched by an officer, who found only a cellphone in McDade's front pocket. McDade was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital at approximately 12:05 am on March 25, 2012. A medical examiner later determined that seven of the eight bullets fired by Griffin and Newlen hit McDade.

In the aftermath of McDade's death, protests and demonstrations occurred and civil rights leaders led community discussions surrounding police use of excessive force and racial profiling. Many called for greater police oversight and the establishment of a police auditor. The officers were not disciplined and returned to active duty after being cleared of criminal wrongdoing by internal review by the Pasadena Police Department and Los Angeles County district attorney's office. McDade's parents filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Pasadena for a wrongful death and settled out-of-court for about $1 million.

In September of 2014, an independent consulting group completed their investigation of the fatal shooting for the city of Pasadena, but the report was kept secret by a police union representing the two officers involved, citing privacy laws. After a protracted legal battle, the full report was released to the public in November 2015. The report revealed that the independent consulting group found many of the tactical decisions made by the two police officers questionable.

Death of Reginald Thomas Jr.
On September 29, 2016, Reginald Thomas Jr., a 35-year-old Black man, died in police custody after police shocked him with a taser and wrestled with him at an apartment complex. Thomas was the father of eight children. According to Pasadena police and other officials, the police were responding to early-morning calls of a disturbance at the apartment involving a man with a knife and a fire extinguisher. The physical confrontation occurred after Thomas did not obey orders to drop the objects. Six officers were involved in the calls but were not wearing any body cameras. The city of Pasadena settled a lawsuit for wrongful death and paid the family $1.5 million, but the officers did not face trial for allegations of excessive force.

Death of Leroy Barnes Jr.

On February 19, 2009, Leroy Barnes Jr, a 38-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by two Pasadena police officers at a traffic stop. Although early official statements issued by the Pasadena police department were conflicting, the shooting occurred inside a car during a struggle over a gun. Police department officials stated that the officers fired at Barnes after pointing a handgun at them. Although the Pasadena Police Officers Association obtained an injunction in court to prevent the initial release of the identities of the two officers involved, the officers were later identified as Glen Reep and Michael Alvarado in papers filed in federal court.

Arrest of Christopher Ballew

On November 9, 2017, a 21-year-old Black man named Christopher Ballew was violently arrested by two Pasadena police officers, Zachary Lujan and Lerry Esparza. Footage from a bystander as well as police body and dashboard camera show the physical altercation occurring at a gas station during a traffic stop. Ballew suffered injuries to his left eye and shin, as well as a broken leg. Footage also shows one officer, Esparza, drawing his firearm and pointing it towards Ballew. Ballew filed a lawsuit against the Pasadena Police Department for damages sustained during the arrest and citing a violation of his civil rights. Data uncovered by Ballew's lawyer, John Burton, suggested that the Pasadena Police Department disproportionately targeted Black and Hispanic motorists during traffic stops over a 2-3 year period.

Arrest of Jasmine Richards for "felony lynching"

On September 1, 2015, Jasmine "Abdullah" Richards, a 28-year-old Black woman and founder of Pasadena's Black Lives Matter chapter, was arrested by Pasadena police for attempting to free a person from police custody at a public demonstration. She was sentenced on June 7, 2016 to 90 days in jail and convicted of a felony lynching, a term in California penal code that refers to the illegal act of inciting a mob to remove someone from police custody. The arrest gained national attention because Richards is the first African American to be convicted of a felony lynching.

Richards suffered a non-life-threatening injury in a shooting early in the morning of January 17, 2020, in a case being classified as an attempted homicide.