CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Six Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers face recommended termination or have already left the force after an internal probe found an alleged racist private text thread, local reporting confirmed this week.
The messages allegedly included racial slurs and a competition over who could pull over the most Black drivers. One officer reportedly wrote earlier this year that the texts sounded like a clan rally. Personnel records cited in coverage show the officers were hired within the last three years and worked across divisions including North Tryon, Freedom and University City.
The six unnamed officers have been suspended without pay pending hearings before the city Civil Service Board. Final termination decisions rest with Chief Estella D. Patterson. Coverage also said another officer connected to the broader case resigned in August.
Community leaders pressed for accountability. Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham said public leadership at CMPD comes with a higher standard. Action NC organizer Robert Dawkins called for deeper screening across the department and warned that coordinated targeting of Black drivers would be systemic if confirmed.
CMPD said in a statement that it will not tolerate behavior that contradicts core values or jeopardizes community trust. The department said Chief Patterson spent her first 100 days visiting every unit to set ethical expectations and that residents remain at the heart of the mission. Officials did not confirm or deny specific message details in that statement.
Public safety in Charlotte is anchored by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, a consolidated city-county agency led by Chief Estella D. Patterson, the first woman to hold the position in CMPD history. Any criminal referrals that arise from related misconduct would typically move through the Mecklenburg County system under District Attorney Spencer B. Merriweather III.
Hearings before the Civil Service Board will determine whether the recommended firings stand. Activists said they want the department to keep searching for similar conduct and to rebuild trust with Black residents while the personnel cases proceed.
