Discovery of alleged racist texts from North Carolina police officers prompts review of arrest records | American police

Five officers recently resigned from a North Carolina police department — and a sixth remained suspended — after allegedly exchanging racist texts.

The chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) said the messages came to light during an investigation into the misuse of its Flock camera system.

The department released personnel records identifying the officers Monday after a public information request from local media.

The discovery of the “deeply disturbing” messages, Police Chief Estella Patterson said at a news conference Thursday, prompted a comprehensive review of the officers’ body-worn camera footage and arrest recordings — and a request for the FBI to open a civil rights investigation.

“As a Black woman who began my career here in this very department, it is particularly painful and disheartening to hear our community’s concerns about racism coming from within the ranks of this organization,” Patterson said.

“Even though the officers involved in this investigation were hired before my tenure as chief, that in no way diminishes my responsibility or commitment to ensuring that what was uncovered in this matter does not constitute a systemic problem in this organization.

Patterson did not disclose the content of the texts, which contained racial slurs and alleged use of the N-word, according to ABC News.

The five former officers were named by CMPD on Monday as Mateo Juarez, Joseph Kelly, Tredan Maronic, Matthew Osborn and Alexander Larsen. All were hired in 2023 or 2024 and Patterson had cited them for termination.

According to WSOC Charlotte, one of them was president of their rookie class and another received the employee of the month award earlier in the year. The outlet said one of the posts compared the officers to a “clan rally,” an apparent reference to rallies organized by the murderous white nationalist Ku Klux Klan.

A sixth officer, Jeremiah Todman, who was hired in 2022, remains suspended pending the results of the investigation and a civil service board review, CMPD said in a statement.

A seventh officer, Seth Elliot, resigned in August after being accused of improperly accessing Flock camera data. Elliot’s resignation came days after his arrest by the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation for illegally accessing a government computer.

“The department remains committed to accountability and providing access to public records in accordance with the law, while respecting the integrity of any ongoing investigation and potential legal proceedings,” the CMPD statement said.

So far, none of the officers have been charged with criminal acts in connection with the text message exchanges. ABC said it was unclear whether any of them other than Elliott had retained an attorney — and reported that his lawyer, George Laughrun, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Guardian has contacted the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police lodge that represents the department’s officers for comment.

In addition to pursuing the firing of the officers, Patterson said she intends to seek revocation of their state legal licenses. She said the episode prompted her to rethink how CMPD interacts with the public.

“I wonder if this type of behavior is systemic throughout the department,” she said. “We have begun and will continue to audit (body-worn camera) footage. We will review the interactions our officers have with members of the public to ensure they are exceptional.”

“The overwhelming majority of our employees do exceptional work every day. They come to work to serve this community and they demonstrate it through their actions. They do their jobs with respect, compassion and professionalism.

“We will not allow the misconduct of a few to define the whole. »