Key Takeaways
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police suspended six patrol officers without pay as they face termination over an alleged group chat filled with racial slurs and a competition to stop the most Black drivers.
- Investigators uncovered the messages—including one officer’s remark that “our texts sound like a clan rally”—while probing officer Seth Elliott’s alleged misuse of Flock, the license-plate-reader technology.
- A seventh officer resigned in August, while the six remaining officers will receive Civil Service Board hearings before the department makes final termination decisions.
An alleged racist group chat has put six Charlotte, North Carolina police officers on the path to termination.
The officers, all Charlotte-Mecklenburg patrol officers, have been suspended without pay after investigators allegedly uncovered racial slurs and a competition over who could stop the most Black drivers. All six face hearings before the city's Civil Service Board, according to WCNC Charlotte. A seventh officer tied to the case resigned in August.
According to the news station, one officer reportedly wrote that "our texts sound like a clan rally.”
The messages surfaced during an unrelated investigation into CMPD officer Seth Elliott, who was charged in July with illegally accessing a government computer for non-law-enforcement purposes, according to WBTV.
Court records cited by WBTV allege Elliott used Flock license-plate-reader technology to assist someone involved in a drug investigation. Text messages and phone data were turned over to CMPD, exposing the group chat.
The officers were all hired within roughly three years, according to WCNC. Their names are being withheld because none face criminal charges. Several were recommended for firing following an internal affairs review.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department issued a statement reiterating their “commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and service.”
“We will not tolerate any behavior that contradicts our core values or jeopardizes the trust we have built with the community we serve,” read part of the statement, per WSOC-TV.
The Civil Service Board will hear evidence before any firings, with the final decision resting with Patterson, according to WSOC-TV and WBTV.
