The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is facing scrutiny after a reported group text thread between several members of the force was discovered to contain racist messages, including the use of racial slurs against Black people and officers "competing and bragging about pulling over Black residents."
According to a report from Axios, the text messages were discovered while the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was investigating Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Seth Elliott for misuse of the Flock network.
The texts were downloaded from his phone and have reportedly resulted in "more than half a dozen officers" quitting or being recommended for termination.
Here's what else to know.
North Carolina police group chat leaks: What we know
According to the Axios report, texts from the leaked
group chat show officers "competing and bragging about pulling over Black residents." Anonymous sources also said there were numerous uses of the N-word related to use of force and discharging firearms at Black residents.
What's happening to the police in the leaked NC group chat?
Axios has also reported that "more than a half dozen officers either quit or have been recommended for termination" following the discovery of the text thread. A number of community leaders and legal experts have called on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson to make further changes.
Corine Mack, the NAACP president of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, has specifically called for involved officers to be fired and reported to the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission to potentially keep them from working in law enforcement in the future.
Charlotte, NC arrest statistics
Since the exposure of the thread, statistics around race when it comes to arrests made by the CMPD have come into question. NC CopWatch data shows that through May 31, 56% of traffic stops by CMPD officers were of Black drivers and 83% of searches involved Black drivers.
What percentage of Charlotte, NC's population is Black?
U.S. Census data for 2025 found that of the city of Charlotte's estimated 964,784 residents, roughly 33.6% were Black.
What percentage of Charlotte, NC police officers are Black?
The 2025 CMPD annual report stated that 18% of officers were Black, while 67% were white.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police under scrutiny for reported racist text thread
