Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police investigate officers for racist messages

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) has released the names of seven officers involved in an investigation regarding racist text messages exchanged in a group chat. According to investigators, the messages included the frequent use of racial slurs and a competition among officers to see who could stop the most Black drivers.

One officer reportedly described the group correspondence as sounding like a ‘Ku Klux Klan meeting.’ CMPD Chief Estella Patterson condemned the behavior, stating that termination proceedings have been recommended for six of the officers.

Five officers—Mateo Juarez, Joseph Kelly, Tredan Maronic, Matthew Osborn, and a sixth individual—resigned in mid-October to avoid formal firing. Two others, Alexander Larsen and Jeremiah Todman, remain suspended without pay pending Civil Service Board reviews.

The investigation began after the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) examined the phone of former officer Seth Elliott, who resigned in August following an arrest related to the alleged misuse of the Flock Safety camera system. The racial messages were discovered during that initial probe.