Charlotte FOP says it didn’t get enough votes for an outcome on Chief Jennings

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police didn’t receive enough responses from its members to release an outcome of a “no confidence” vote over CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings.

The FOP made the announcement in a Facebook post Tuesday evening.

The local FOP, a law-enforcement member organization, announced it would hold the vote after news of a mysterious payment made by the City Council to Jennings in closed session on April 28.

After weeks of questions and scrutiny, the chief on Memorial Day weekend released a copy of a $305,000 severance agreement between himself and City Manager Marcus Jones and announced his plan to retire at the end of the year.

He told The Charlotte Optimist newsletter that he was upset by calls for his firing after a debate over which type of bulletproof vests should be issued to CMPD officers.

Jennings made allegations against the city that his rights were violated under state and federal law. He hasn’t specified how and has declined to answer questions. City leaders have yet to respond to a public records request going back to May 5.

The FOP, which opposed Jennings in the vest debate in 2024, posted a news release on its Facebook page:

“Over the last 9 days, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #9, conducted a Vote of Confidence against Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings. We provided numerous opportunities for members to vote, offering both in-person and online options.

“The vote concluded tonight, as scheduled, and the number of votes we received was not enough to validate an outcome.”

That announcement concludes the process.

Local FOP president Dan Redford declined to comment further.