Charlotte Police Name the Officers in the Racist Text Thread | CLT Daily

Description

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have released personnel records for seven officers tied to a racist group chat. Four of the seven share the same hire date, and the department is now reviewing how it hires. We look at what the records show and what they don't: it still isn't public who wrote what, and nobody has been charged over the texts. The district attorney is reviewing past and pending cases, but says he won't make public how many there are. Plus: the Hornets lock up Brandon Miller with a reported $209 million extension ahead of tomorrow's opener, and North Carolina's unemployment rate falls to 3.4 percent. And a world-premiere murder-mystery dinner in the Iron District, with tips on which seats are still easy to get.

CLT Daily — Charlotte's independent daily briefing. New episodes every morning. cltdaily.com

Sources this episode: WFAE, WBTV, WSOC-TV, Axios Charlotte, ESPN, N.C. Department of Commerce, Blumenthal Arts, CLT Daily

CLT Daily is written, hosted and produced by Steve Bouboulis, an independent journalist covering the Queen City. Got a tip, a document, or a story the city isn't telling? Reach him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebouboulis/

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
One thing to put on the calendar. There's been a murder in the Iron District, and you're invited to dinner. Some nights are already sold out. Stick around, and I'll tell you which seats are still easy to get. But first, this is CLT Daily. I'm Steve Baboulis. It's Tuesday, October 20th, your independent daily briefing for the Queen City. Today, Charlotte police put names to the racist text thread. What those names tell us, and what they still don't. On Monday, Charlotte news police released personnel records for seven officers tied to the group chat. Six were cited for firing on October 9th. The seventh is a former officer arrested this summer in a separate case. That arrest is how state investigators found the text. He's charged, not convicted. The department says it released the names to clear up misinformation. Last week, the local NAACP had demanded them. State law makes names, hire dates, and discipline public. It bars releasing an employee's race. At least four of the six resigned last week. Several outlets report a fifth resigned Monday. The last is suspended without pay, waiting on the city's civil service board, which has the final say on firing a sworn officer. Here's what jumps out of the records. These are young officers, 24 to 31. All six were hired between 2022 and 2024. And four of the seven share the same hire date, February 26, 2024. The department says it's now reviewing its hiring procedures, along with body camera footage and officer messages. What the records don't tell us is who started the thread or who wrote what. Channel 9 reports that still isn't clear. Being on a chat isn't the same as writing in it. No one has been charged over the texts. WBTV reports the department's review of arrests, stops, and body camera video hasn't found anything specifically targeting black drivers so far. And the U.S. attorney says his office is weighing a civil rights investigation, but warns the bar for charges is very high. Now, a debt. On Friday, I told you I'd chase how many open cases these officers touched. Here's the honest answer. District Attorney Spencer Merriweather told Channel 9 his office is reviewing pending and past cases. If a case can go forward without these officers, it will. If it can't, it may be dismissed. But he said his office doesn't plan to make that number public. So I can't promise you that figure. What Monday's names change is who can check. Any defense lawyer in Charlotte can now search their own files. Some already are. Sheriff Gary McFadden spent nearly 40 years with Charlotte police. He told WBTV he's bothered but not shocked. And he said this one incident won't resolve it. No matter if you fire them, suspend them, or charge them. All right, here's what else you need to know today. The Hornets have locked up Brandon Miller. ESPN reports a five-year extension worth $209 million. The season starts tomorrow night in Brooklyn without Kobe White or Con Neweple. Coach Charles Lee gave no timetable for either. The home opener is Friday at 7 against Atlanta. North Carolina's unemployment rate fell to 3.4% in September, the State Commerce Department says. That's down from 3.9 a year ago and well under the national rate of 4.2. The state added about 600 jobs last month, led by health care and education. Professional and business services, a sector Charlotte leans on, lost 1,500 jobs on the month, but it's up more than 25,000 over the year. Charlotte-area numbers come out later. Now, as promised, it's called CLU, Murder on the Menu. It's a dinner theater take on the board game, billed as a world premiere at Bloom Studios on Post Street in the Iron District. You get a cocktail reception, a three-course dinner, and suspects working the room while you try to catch a killer. Most shows start at 7.30, with one o'clock matinees on weekends. Tickets start around $115, and it runs through December 6th. Here's the trick. The box office says Sundays, Saturday matinees, and dates after Thanksgiving have the best availability. Matinees are family-friendly. Evenings lean grown-up. We've got the full guide at CLT. That's CLT Daily for Tuesday, October 20th. I'm Steve Baboulis. We'll be back tomorrow. Same time, same city. Until then, Charlotte, take care of each other.

Description

CLT Daily — Charlotte's independent daily briefing. New episodes every morning. cltdaily.com

Sources this episode: WFAE, WBTV, WSOC-TV, Axios Charlotte, ESPN, N.C. Department of Commerce, Blumenthal Arts, CLT Daily

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Transcription

Speaker #0
One thing to put on the calendar. There's been a murder in the Iron District, and you're invited to dinner. Some nights are already sold out. Stick around, and I'll tell you which seats are still easy to get. But first, this is CLT Daily. I'm Steve Baboulis. It's Tuesday, October 20th, your independent daily briefing for the Queen City. Today, Charlotte police put names to the racist text thread. What those names tell us, and what they still don't. On Monday, Charlotte news police released personnel records for seven officers tied to the group chat. Six were cited for firing on October 9th. The seventh is a former officer arrested this summer in a separate case. That arrest is how state investigators found the text. He's charged, not convicted. The department says it released the names to clear up misinformation. Last week, the local NAACP had demanded them. State law makes names, hire dates, and discipline public. It bars releasing an employee's race. At least four of the six resigned last week. Several outlets report a fifth resigned Monday. The last is suspended without pay, waiting on the city's civil service board, which has the final say on firing a sworn officer. Here's what jumps out of the records. These are young officers, 24 to 31. All six were hired between 2022 and 2024. And four of the seven share the same hire date, February 26, 2024. The department says it's now reviewing its hiring procedures, along with body camera footage and officer messages. What the records don't tell us is who started the thread or who wrote what. Channel 9 reports that still isn't clear. Being on a chat isn't the same as writing in it. No one has been charged over the texts. WBTV reports the department's review of arrests, stops, and body camera video hasn't found anything specifically targeting black drivers so far. And the U.S. attorney says his office is weighing a civil rights investigation, but warns the bar for charges is very high. Now, a debt. On Friday, I told you I'd chase how many open cases these officers touched. Here's the honest answer. District Attorney Spencer Merriweather told Channel 9 his office is reviewing pending and past cases. If a case can go forward without these officers, it will. If it can't, it may be dismissed. But he said his office doesn't plan to make that number public. So I can't promise you that figure. What Monday's names change is who can check. Any defense lawyer in Charlotte can now search their own files. Some already are. Sheriff Gary McFadden spent nearly 40 years with Charlotte police. He told WBTV he's bothered but not shocked. And he said this one incident won't resolve it. No matter if you fire them, suspend them, or charge them. All right, here's what else you need to know today. The Hornets have locked up Brandon Miller. ESPN reports a five-year extension worth $209 million. The season starts tomorrow night in Brooklyn without Kobe White or Con Neweple. Coach Charles Lee gave no timetable for either. The home opener is Friday at 7 against Atlanta. North Carolina's unemployment rate fell to 3.4% in September, the State Commerce Department says. That's down from 3.9 a year ago and well under the national rate of 4.2. The state added about 600 jobs last month, led by health care and education. Professional and business services, a sector Charlotte leans on, lost 1,500 jobs on the month, but it's up more than 25,000 over the year. Charlotte-area numbers come out later. Now, as promised, it's called CLU, Murder on the Menu. It's a dinner theater take on the board game, billed as a world premiere at Bloom Studios on Post Street in the Iron District. You get a cocktail reception, a three-course dinner, and suspects working the room while you try to catch a killer. Most shows start at 7.30, with one o'clock matinees on weekends. Tickets start around $115, and it runs through December 6th. Here's the trick. The box office says Sundays, Saturday matinees, and dates after Thanksgiving have the best availability. Matinees are family-friendly. Evenings lean grown-up. We've got the full guide at CLT. That's CLT Daily for Tuesday, October 20th. I'm Steve Baboulis. We'll be back tomorrow. Same time, same city. Until then, Charlotte, take care of each other.

Embed