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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department identified the officers involved in a racist text scandal on Monday morning.
The department moved to terminate six officers Friday, Oct. 9. Four have since resigned, but officials did not specify which officers.
“This release is intended to comply with the public availability of these records per G.S. § 160A-168(b), and to address misinformation regarding the officers’ names,” a spokesperson wrote. “Under state law, CMPD cannot release the race or ethnicity of any employee.”
Police said a seventh officer, Seth Elliott, was also involved in the text matter. He went on administrative leave July 29 after SBI agents arrested him for illegally accessing a government computer tied to Flock misuse. He resigned Aug. 4.
Multiple sources told investigative reporter David Hodges the texts were discovered while the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation was probing Elliott for misuse of the Flock network.
Officers involved in alleged scandal
The seven officers involved in the alleged racist text scandal are listed below.
Seth ElliottMateo JuarezJoseph KellyAlexander LarsenTredan MaronicMatthew OsbornJeremiah Todman‘Deeply troubling’: Police chief speaks on scandal
Chief Estella Patterson confirmed during a briefing Thursday, Oct. 15, that three of the officers resigned, calling the situation “deeply troubling.” At the time, she said six officers were involved in total, and an independent chain-of-command board unanimously recommended termination for the three who had not resigned.
On Monday, Oct. 19, the department said a fourth officer involved had resigned.
“I fully concur with that decision,” Patterson said of the board’s recommendation. “The next step in the process lies with the Civil Service Board, which has the sole authority to terminate sworn members of the department. I do not have that final say.”
According to sources who spoke to WBTV anonymously, a text thread between Charlotte-Mecklenburg officers included a contest over who could pull over the most Black drivers and frequent use of the N-word in reference to using force and firing on Black residents.
“So, I have not read all the messages. I can share with you that the biases show racial, sexual, [and] they also show religious biases,” Patterson said.
Patterson said that the department’s internal investigation has reviewed arrests, traffic stops, and body-worn camera footage, but has so far not revealed anything that specifically targets Black drivers.
“We will be pursuing, as an organization, the revocation of their North Carolina law enforcement certificate so that they cannot be an officer anywhere in our state. And I hope that they will not be an officer anywhere in this country,” Patterson said.
Patterson calls on Department of Justice
Patterson is asking every partner agency, including the U.S. Department of Justice, to help investigate a series of text messages.
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said his office is looking into a possible civil rights violation investigation, noting those cases are challenging because of the required burden of proof.
“The standard is very, very high in civil rights cases. And that’s because of the First Amendment. You have a First Amendment right to be stupid and to say stupid things and, quite frankly, to say racist things, even though you shouldn’t,” said Ferguson.
Ferguson said he hasn’t read the texts himself but credited Hodges’s reporting for giving him an overview of their contents. While he can’t guarantee federal charges, Ferguson said his office will prosecute if proof of wrongdoing emerges.
NAACP demands names be released
A local NAACP chapter responded Friday morning to racist texts tied to Charlotte-Mecklenburg officers, following the police chief’s press conference Thursday.
During an Oct. 16 press conference, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP called for police to publicly identify six officers accused of sending racist text messages. The NAACP and community leaders said identifying the six officers is necessary to determine if anyone was unfairly targeted.
“Our lives are on the line every single day. And to hear the people who took an oath to protect and serve, who are now trying with all their might to harm us, it’s devastating,” said Minister Corine Mack, the president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP. “Most of us, like myself, we’re not surprised. But many who want to have an open mind are.”
Mack also said hiring and training practices need to be stricter for officers to weed out candidates who may not want to serve everyone in the community.
“Well, the first thing I want to see happen is an adept implicit bias training and dismantling racism training,” Mack said. “We need to have them go through a rigorous training, including a psychological test, real investigation into their backgrounds, extracurriculars, and others.”
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