5 North Carolina police officers resign amid probe into alleged racist texts

Key Points:

• Five Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) officers have resigned amid an investigation into allegedly sharing racist text messages, with a sixth officer having resigned earlier and a seventh suspended without pay.
• The racist messages were uncovered during a probe into alleged misuse of Flock cameras by former officer Seth Elliot, who resigned in August and is also implicated in this matter.
• CMPD Police Chief Estella Patterson condemned the allegations as serious and troubling, emphasizing the department's commitment to transparency, accountability, and cooperation with federal agencies to investigate potential civil rights violations.
• The department conducted audits of the officers' body camera footage, traffic stops, arrest records, and complaints but found no evidence of misconduct so far, while continuing to pursue further investigation with federal partners.
• If wrongdoing is confirmed, CMPD intends to seek revocation of the officers' law enforcement certificates to prevent them from serving as officers anywhere in North Carolina or potentially the country.