Six Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officers have been implicated in an investigation into racist text messages, Chief Estella Patterson said at a briefing on Thursday, October 15. Three of the officers have resigned, and an independent chain-of-command board unanimously recommended that the other three be fired.
The department’s Civil Service Board has final authority to fire sworn officers. Patterson said she agreed with the termination recommendation. She also said the department would seek to revoke the officers’ North Carolina law-enforcement certifications. Patterson asked partner agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, to help investigate. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said his office was examining a possible civil-rights case, while cautioning that such cases require a high standard of proof.
According to officials, the messages allegedly included a contest over who could stop the most Black drivers, along with racist language about using force against Black residents. Patterson said the texts also reflected racial, sexual and religious bias. Investigators reviewed arrests, traffic stops and body-camera footage, but had not found evidence so far that the officers specifically targeted Black drivers. The texts were reportedly found during a State Bureau of Investigation inquiry into a CMPD officer’s alleged misuse of the Flock camera network.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP scheduled a news conference for 10:30 a.m. Friday, October 16, to press for accountability. Chapter President Minister Corine Mack said the organization was deeply concerned by the messages. Mack also pointed to the chapter’s past work with the department on equitable hiring and training to address racial bias.
Why it matters
The case raises questions about public trust and oversight of police conduct. Messages of this kind, when confirmed through an investigation, can affect how residents view the department. The outcome also matters for cases the officers touched, because an officer’s credibility can be examined when the officer appears as a witness. The Civil Service Board still must act on the termination recommendation, and a possible federal review remains pending. Those processes will determine what accountability follows.
Sources: Focal News report on the NAACP news conference and Reason report on the resignations.
More hip-hop stories: Off The Corner