Chapter President Minister Corine Mack said the organization was deeply concerned by the messages and pointed to its past work with the department on equitable hiring and training to address racial bias among officers.

Six officers were involved, Police Chief Estella Patterson said at a Thursday briefing. Three have resigned. An independent chain-of-command board unanimously recommended termination for the other three, but the department’s Civil Service Board has the final authority to fire sworn officers. Patterson said she agreed with the recommendation.

The messages allegedly included a contest over who could stop the most Black drivers and racist language about using force against Black residents. Patterson said the texts also reflected racial, sexual and religious bias. She said investigators had reviewed arrests, traffic stops and body-camera footage but had not found evidence so far that specifically targeted Black drivers.

Patterson said the department would seek to revoke the officers’ North Carolina law-enforcement certifications. She also asked partner agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, to help investigate. U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said his office was examining a possible civil-rights case, while cautioning that such cases require a high standard of proof. He said federal prosecutors would act if evidence of wrongdoing emerges.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP’s response comes as the case raises questions about public trust and oversight of police conduct. The texts were reportedly found during a State Bureau of Investigation inquiry into a Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer’s alleged misuse of the Flock camera network.