Charlotte police chief reports biased messages involving six officers

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson said an internal investigation found years of racially, sexually and religiously biased text messages involving six department officers. Three officers have resigned, and three others have been recommended for termination, subject to review by the Civil Service Board. Patterson said the department has asked the FBI to investigate potential civil-rights violations connected to the officers. Patterson described the messages at a news conference on October 15. She said the review began after information emerged during a North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation inquiry involving a separate CMPD officer accused of misusing a license-plate reader. The SBI shared information with CMPD, whose internal affairs investigators then examined a private text thread, according to the chief. Reports about the messages have included allegations that officers competed to stop the most Black drivers. Patterson’s account confirmed that the messages showed bias, but the supplied statements from the chief did not confirm that alleged competition. The underlying messages have not been made public in the material reviewed for this report....