Investigation Uncovers a Secret Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Group Chat That Was Allegedly Full of Racist Texts

While investigating an incident of alleged officer misconduct, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) uncovered a secret text thread between cops allegedly filled with uses of the N-word and a contest over who could pull over the most Black drivers. An internal investigation is now underway as the involved officers have either resigned or face potential termination in what community leaders are calling a disturbing case of systemic police racism.

According to WBTV 3, the private group chat was uncovered almost by accident. State investigators were initially investigating CMPD Officer Seth Elliott, who faces criminal charges after allegedly using the Flock Safety surveillance system to tip off a suspect in a drug investigation as a favor to one of his college friends.

But when state authorities downloaded Elliott’s phone data, they reportedly stumbled upon the unthinkable: a secret text thread where six Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers allegedly used vile racial slurs and openly degraded Black residents. The six police officers allegedly wrote about discharging firearms at Black residents. They allegedly used the N-word. And one of the officers reportedly messaged colleagues earlier this year that their texts “sound like a clan rally,” WCNC Charlotte reported.

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Personnel records show the officers in question were all hired within the last three years and come from multiple divisions, including North Tryon, Freedom and University City Division. In a statement shared with The Charlotte Observer, CMPD addressed the scandal, saying they “will not tolerate any behavior that contradicts our core values or jeopardizes the trust we have built with the community we serve.” The department did not confirm nor deny the details reported by WBTV 3, but noted: “Our residents are at the heart of our mission, and we take pride in our longstanding track record of fostering meaningful relationships that strengthen public trust.”

The six unnamed officers have been suspended without pay pending hearings before the city’s Civil Service Board, which will review the evidence before deciding to officially terminate them—a decision that ultimately rests with Chief Estella Patterson. According to WCNC Charlotte, records show another officer connected to the case resigned in August.

Rev. Corine Mack, the president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP, said she was disturbed by the messages. “I don’t want to paint all of law enforcement with the same brush, but clearly, I’m concerned that you have bigots in uniform with state authority,” Mack said, WSOC TV reported. “And unfortunately, they can cost a person their life.”