The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has publicly identified seven officers connected to a group chat with racist text messages. Five have resigned and two remain suspended without pay, WFAE reports.
According to WFAE, the messages included repeated racial slurs and a competition over who could pull over the most Black drivers. They were found during a separate State Bureau of Investigation case into a former officer’s alleged misuse of the Flock license-plate camera network. That officer resigned in August after his arrest. The SBI shared the messages with CMPD, which opened its own investigation and suspended six officers.
Chief Estella Patterson cited the six for termination and said publicly that she hoped they would lose their jobs and never work in law enforcement again, WFAE reported. Four resigned in lieu of termination between Oct. 11 and Oct. 15. As of Oct. 19, two remained suspended without pay pending review by Charlotte’s Civil Service Board. Under city rules, that board, not the chief, has the final say on firing sworn officers.
CMPD said it released the officers’ personnel records to correct misinformation about who was involved. The department says it’s also reviewing body-camera footage, officer communications and hiring practices more broadly. In its quarterly briefing, the city quoted Patterson as saying “Transparency and accountability will continue to guide every decision we make.”
None of the officers has been criminally charged over the texts, so we aren’t naming them here.
Source: WFAE: CMPD identifies officers tied to racist text message investigation, as fifth resigns · City of Charlotte: CMPD Third Quarter Report
