The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating possible civil rights violations by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officers after a racist text thread led three to resign and three more to face termination.
CMPD Chief Estella Patterson announced the developments Thursday, Oct. 15, at a press conference inside the Spectrum Center. She called the situation "serious and deeply troubling." CMPD's Providence and South divisions, which patrol the Ballantyne area, are part of the department now under scrutiny.
The texts surfaced during a State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) probe into officer Seth Elliott, who allegedly misused the department's Flock license plate reader system, first reported by WBTV. Data downloaded from Elliott's phone revealed a group text thread among CMPD officers containing racial, sexual and religious slurs. Elliott resigned and faces a criminal charge for accessing government computers.
Sources who spoke to WBTV on condition of anonymity said the thread included a contest over who could pull over the most Black drivers and frequent use of the N-word in references to using force against Black residents. Patterson said the messages went back "several years."
All six officers cited for termination came from the same 2024 graduating class and are of three different races, the Charlotte Observer reported. An independent chain-of-command board unanimously recommended termination for all six. Three resigned. The remaining three are on unpaid administrative leave.
Patterson said she supports firing the remaining officers but does not have final authority.
That power rests with the Civil Service Board, which has not yet set a hearing date.
CMPD asked federal partners to examine the case. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson, whose office covers the Western District of North Carolina, said his team will review whether officers acted on the biases expressed in the texts, WCNC reported.
"Was it just people talking or were they taking actions because of this talk?" Ferguson said. "And that is the critical piece for a federal prosecution case."
Ferguson noted the legal bar for civil rights cases is high because of First Amendment protections. He said his office will prosecute if proof of wrongdoing emerges.
No misconduct evidence has surfaced so far. CMPD said internal audits of the officers' body-worn camera footage, traffic stop data, arrest records and complaint histories found nothing. The department is also pursuing revocation of all six officers' North Carolina law enforcement certifications. Patterson said she hopes none of them serve as officers anywhere in the country.
Charlotte Mayor Robert Harrington released a statement saying he has confidence in Patterson's response and that every resident "deserves to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect by the people sworn to protect them," WBTV reported.
Charlotte NAACP President Corine Mack told the Charlotte Observer that Patterson called her about the messages. Mack said she appreciated the chief's quick action but wants lasting, structural changes within the department. The Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office had not begun reviewing potentially affected criminal cases as of Oct. 14, the Observer reported.
Robert Dawkins of ActionNC told the Charlotte Observer on Oct. 15 that he has watched successive CMPD chiefs promise change after misconduct scandals. "But it is tolerated," Dawkins said. "It's never going to be fixed if it's ingrained in the culture."
The Civil Service Board hearing for the three remaining officers has not been scheduled.
