The Group Text Madness Continues

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Command Staff has overnight created an Orwellian Hellscape where “bad words” can get you fired or worst imprisoned.

“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," Patterson said.

CMPD Chief Stella Patterson (A Black Woman) has now recruited race warriors Benjamin Crump and Corine Mack to build national outrage over the perceived injustice. Not only has she demanded the termination of these Officers, she has vowed to see that these Officers are banned from serving as law enforcement Officers anywhere else. After reviewing countless text messages and group chats, the department dug yet deeper by reviewing hours of BWC videos and audited hundreds of arrest reports yet found No further Evidence of Misconduct. Now CMPD Chief Patterson has requested that the FBI review possible Civil Rights Violations citing the Racist Text messages. All this makes you wonder what’s next for CMPD rank and file, implanted body metric recorders to monitor Dopamine Spikes or Testosterone Increases that might happen while cuffing a mildly attractive 20 something blond haired females? In 2019 New York investigators studied 888 of the 2,495 bias complaints, where 68% involved allegations of racial bias. NYPD determined that Officers sometimes said bad things. “NYPD does not investigate as biased policing an officer’s use of offensive or derogatory language related to a complainant’s actual or perceived protected status, such as a racial slur, even though NYPD prohibits such conduct”. As a result of the review NYPD basically told the Officers to knock it off. No one was fired no one was suspended.

I want to be very clear - Much of the behavior depicted in the CMPD group text is abhorrent. However, this should have been handled internally rather than creating a public spectacle, casting Charlotte in a very poor light and setting back recruitment efforts a decade or more. Police work is not for the meek. The "talk" is part of the job, and it often serves as the relief mechanism that helps deal with the part of the job Officers don't talk about. The four year old shot while sleeping, the 26 year old mother shot in face five times, the accident victim cut in 2 because of a drunk driver. Tell them to knock it off and move on was how it should have been handled. And if it made the Chief feel all warm and fuzzy as a proud Black Woman she could order that they all attend sensitivity training or log 200 hours at "A Roof Above". CMPD covers a large and diverse area on North Carolina we need more Officers not fewer.

The larger matter might be the Chief's us vs them perception. Her opening statement "As a Black Woman" tells you everything you need to know.

She didn't say as a Police Officer, or as a Life Long Charlottean or as a Christian. In her mind being Black is first on her list.

And that's the difference between her thinking and most of the "boots on the street", and why she was a bad choice for Chief of a multi ethnic police department. She considers herself a "Black Woman" first.

Conversely I'm a Christian, Father, Husband, American, North Carolinian, Fisherman, and somewhere down off the end of the list is white guy.