A newly revealed racist text thread involving Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers is raising alarms about what they may have said and done while policing the streets.
Now, defense attorneys are questioning the credibility of criminal cases involving the officers and arguing that prosecutors should reconsider cases in which they played a central role.
More than half a dozen unidentified officers have either resigned or faced recommendations for termination after messages surfaced showing officers making derogatory comments about Black people, according to WBTV.
The reported messages included officers competing over traffic stops involving Black drivers, raising concerns about whether racial bias influenced their decisions to stop and investigate residents.
Attorneys Brad Smith and Tim Emery told WBTV that the revelations could affect the credibility of officers who arrested defendants, conducted investigations, or served as witnesses in criminal proceedings. They argued that prosecutors must determine whether the officers’ conduct undermines the integrity of cases they handled.
“When you’ve got police officers on the force that are playing games and looking to pull people over because of nothing more than the color of their skin, they’re predisposed to believe and to investigate certain crimes that may not be occurring,” Smith told WBTV.
On Monday, the department cited six officers for termination, while others connected to the messages had already left the department.
The officers came from several divisions, including North Tryon, Freedom, and University City. The termination recommendations are not necessarily final, as officers may appeal to the Civil Service Board, and Police Chief Estella Patterson, who is Black, retains the ultimate decision.
The dispute centers in part on a legal requirement commonly known as the Giglio rule. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 1972 ruling requires prosecutors to disclose information that could undermine the credibility of police officers or other government witnesses.
Smith expects the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office to review the messages and determine whether cases involving the officers can proceed. Emery went further, saying prosecutors should consider stopping cases in which an implicated officer played a significant role.
“Their credibility is severely questioned and compromised,” Emery told WBTV. “If they’re involved in any type of case in terms of stopping or investigating someone, absolutely, particularly if it’s a black person.”
The district attorney’s office did not specifically address the text thread in its statement to WBTV. A spokesperson for District Attorney Spencer Merriweather said prosecutors independently evaluate whether sustained police department violations indicate bias or dishonesty serious enough to disqualify an officer from serving as a state witness.
The statement emphasized that an internal disciplinary finding does not automatically determine whether an officer can testify. Prosecutors must assess the circumstances and decide whether the conduct undermines the officer’s credibility.
According to anonymous sources, the messages included officers discussing how many Black drivers they could pull over. The thread also reportedly contained repeated use of the N-word in conversations about using force and firing weapons at Black residents.
Investigators discovered the messages while examining a separate case involving officer Seth Elliott, who is accused of misusing the Flock Safety surveillance network and other technology to assist someone connected to a drug investigation.
During the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s inquiry, investigators downloaded text messages and other information from Elliott’s phone and turned the material over to Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. A subsequent review revealed the messages involving other officers, prompting an internal investigation by the department.
Elliott faces a criminal charge related to the alleged misuse of the technology. His attorney, George Laughrun, told WBTV that he had no comment on the text thread beyond saying the defense was preparing for Elliott’s criminal case. Laughrun also said Elliott had resigned from the department more than a month earlier.
Smith also raised concerns about the evidence available when officers explain why they stopped a driver. He stated that body cameras often capture the dashboard rather than the road ahead, potentially leaving an officer’s account as the primary explanation for a traffic stop.
“The ability to now pull somebody over based on something other than them legitimately maybe committing a traffic offense is something that we were going to be dealing with in courtrooms again,” Smith said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police spoke on the situation. In a statement, the department said it remained committed to professional conduct and public accountability.
“We will not tolerate any behavior that contradicts our core values or jeopardizes the trust we have built with the community we serve,” the department said.
The department also said Patterson visited every unit during her first 100 days as chief to reinforce expectations for ethical conduct.
Attorney Ben Crump weighed in on the situation, writing on Instagram, “Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers reportedly had a text thread competing to pull over the most Black drivers, while using racial slurs in discussions about force against Black residents.”
He continued, “A badge should NEVER be a license for discrimination! These allegations call into question traffic stops and use-of-force incidents involving these officers!”
