Five North Carolina police officers were facing investigation for camera misuse. Then their chief discovers they allegedly exchanged racist texts

Five officers recently resigned from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department and a sixth remains suspended following an investigation into the exchange of racist text messages. The messages surfaced during an inquiry into the misuse of the agency’s Flock camera system.

As reported by The Guardian, police chief Estella Patterson shared the news during a press conference on Thursday, announcing that the discovery led to a full review of arrest records and body-worn camera footage. She also requested that the FBI conduct a civil rights investigation into the matter.

The department released personnel files on Monday identifying the officers involved after a request for public information. The five former officers identified are Mateo Juarez, Joseph Kelly, Tredan Maronic, Matthew Osborn and Alexander Larsen. Each of these individuals joined the force in 2023 or 2024, and Patterson had already moved to terminate them before their resignations. A sixth officer, Jeremiah Todman, who joined in 2022, is currently suspended while waiting for the results of an investigation and a review by the civil service board.

Patterson described the messages as deeply troubling

While she did not reveal the exact content of the texts, reports indicate they included racist slurs and the N-word. One message reportedly compared the group to a “clan rally,” which appears to be a reference to the Ku Klux Klan. According to reporting from WSOC, one of the officers served as president of their recruit class, while another had received an employee of the month award earlier this year.

This investigation started as a probe into the improper use of Flock camera technology. A seventh officer, Seth Elliot, resigned in August after being accused of viewing data from the cameras without authorization. He was arrested by the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation for illegally accessing a government computer shortly before his resignation. At this time, none of the officers have faced criminal charges related to the text messages. It remains unclear if the officers have retained legal counsel, though a lawyer for Elliot did not provide a comment when asked.

Patterson spoke about the personal and professional impact of the situation. “As a Black woman who began my career here in this very department, it is especially painful and disheartening to hear concerns from our community about racism coming from within the ranks of this organization,” she said. She noted that while these officers were hired before she became chief, she accepts full responsibility for addressing the issue and checking for systemic problems.

“Although the officers involved in this investigation were hired before my tenure as chief, that does not lessen my responsibility or my commitment to making sure that what was discovered in this case is not a systemic problem in this organization,” she added.

The department is now auditing body-worn camera footage to evaluate how officers interact with the public. Patterson expressed her intent to seek the revocation of the state law licenses for the officers involved. She emphasized that these actions do not reflect the entire department.

“The overwhelming majority of our employees do exceptional work every single day. They come to work to serve this community, and they demonstrate that in their actions. They do their work with respect, with compassion, and professionalism,” she stated. She also said, “We will not allow the misconduct of a few to define the whole.”

The CMPD confirmed it remains focused on accountability and transparency while the investigations continue.