CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Estella Patterson, chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, is willing to rethink how her officers use traffic stops, as the department works through the fallout from a racist group text that has cost six officers their jobs.
Seven officers were disciplined over the message thread. Six have resigned, and the seventh is suspended and goes before the Civil Service Board in November. The department has released the officers’ names, and Patterson wants the state to pull all seven officers’ law enforcement certifications so they cannot be hired by another agency.
The chief said she has put out everything the law allows and will not release the messages themselves while investigations continue. The FBI is looking into whether any of the officers violated residents’ civil rights. Patterson said the thread also showed bias based on gender and religion.
Department leaders compared the messages against body-worn camera footage, work schedules, arrests and traffic stops from the days they were sent. Patterson said that review turned up no evidence that any of the seven acted on bias while on duty.
Pressure on traffic enforcement is coming from a local nonprofit called the Second Chance Federation. The group has asked CMPD to stop pulling drivers over for minor, nonmoving problems such as expired registration, a broken taillight or tinted windows, and to focus on speeding, reckless driving and violent crime. It points to stop data it says shows Black drivers are pulled over far more often than their share of the population.
Patterson said she plans to meet with those leaders and gather more information before deciding anything. She also said CMPD will review hiring and training, hold listening sessions for residents and bring back Transparency Workshops that explain how the department operates.
Section: More Charlotte NC crime news
Filed under: Charlotte NC Public Safety News
