Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Seth Elliott was arrested yesterday after investigators said he improperly accessed two systems used by law enforcement for a non-law-enforcement purpose, triggering a CMPD internal investigation. Elliott faces one Class 1 misdemeanor count of illegally accessing a government computer. He has been placed on unpaid administrative leave.
According to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department release, the State Bureau of Investigation notified CMPD on June 18 that it had developed information during an unrelated investigation indicating Elliott accessed Flock and CJLEADS once on June 16 for a non-law-enforcement purpose. CMPD said it does not own or operate Flock cameras or devices, but its memorandum with Flock allows officers to access devices belonging to other agencies and entities at no charge. Elliott was placed on paid administrative assignment June 22, with his equipment and access to criminal-intelligence systems revoked, before being moved to unpaid leave after Wednesday's arrest. He was hired on Feb. 26, 2024, and is assigned to CMPD's University City Division.
Why Flock And CJLEADS Access Matters
Flock Safety describes its license plate reader platform as producing searchable vehicle records that can include a plate, make, model, color, time and location, along with custom permissions and audit trails. The North Carolina Department of Information Technology describes CJLEADS as a secure, centralized database of current offender information for state and local criminal-justice professionals.
The Charge And Department Response
North Carolina's G.S. 14-454 makes willful, unauthorized access to a computer, computer system or network for an unauthorized purpose a Class 1 misdemeanor, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. The CMPD release did not identify the precise subsection involved or describe what information Elliott allegedly viewed. The charge remains an allegation, not a finding of guilt.
In a CMPD statement, Chief Patterson said, “Misusing law enforcement technology or accessing confidential information for non-law enforcement purposes is a betrayal of the public’s trust.” Patterson added that the department would not tolerate conduct that violates that trust.
Internal Review Remains Pending
The department did not announce a court date or say whether any information was shared with another person. Elliott remains on unpaid administrative leave while CMPD's Internal Affairs Division investigates the alleged misuse, separate from the criminal charge filed by the SBI.
