Charlotte police group chat allegedly staged contest over Black drivers; three resign

Left · 1Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said on X on Tuesday 13 October that officers of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) in North Carolina competed to see who could pull over the most Black drivers, citing a WBTV report. 1 Mixed · 2The messages came to light during a North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI) inquiry into CMPD officer Seth Elliott, who was charged with illegally accessing a government computer. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Independent reports that Elliott allegedly used the Flock Safety surveillance system and the CJLEADS database for "non-law enforcement purposes" on 16 June; Reason says he ran a plate through Flock that belonged to an undercover officer, at the request of a friend, and denied knowing whose vehicle it was. 1 2

Mixed · 2Investigators downloaded Elliott's phone data and gave it to CMPD, whose review found a text thread with derogatory statements about Black people, which prompted a separate police investigation. 1 2 Mixed · 2According to anonymous sources cited by WBTV, the chat included numerous uses of the n-word relating to use of force and shooting at Black residents, and a competition over who could arrest the most Black people; Crump said the officers used racial slurs when discussing force against Black people. 2 1 Right · 1One message reportedly read "Our texts sound like a clan [sic] rally," according to WCNC Charlotte. 2

Mixed · 2Sources told WBTV that six officers were cited for termination and others had already resigned; Reason reports that at a Thursday press conference Chief Estella Patterson said an independent chain-of-command board unanimously voted for termination, that three officers have resigned, and that she hopes to soon call the other three former employees. 1 2 Left · 1CMPD said it will not tolerate behaviour that contradicts its core values, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP president Rev. Corine Mack said she was concerned about "bigots in uniform with state authority" while not wishing to paint all law enforcement with the same brush. 1 Mixed · 2Defense attorneys Brad Smith and Tim Emery told WBTV that past and present cases involving the officers should be re-examined, and Emery said the district attorney should consider halting cases in which they were heavily involved. 1 2

Mixed · 2Both outlets note the 1972 Supreme Court ruling (Giglio v. United States) requiring prosecutors to disclose information that could undermine the credibility of police witnesses; Reason says Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather must now assess whether the officers' word can be trusted, which could lead to dropped cases or challenges to convictions. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Independent said it had contacted CMPD and Elliott's attorney, George Laughrun, for comment, and the account of the chat's contents rests on anonymous sources. 1 2