Charlotte mayor ‘stands with’ CMPD chief amid reported settlement over Bokhari vest push
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles says she supports Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings amid reports of a settlement with him to avoid a lawsuit.
The City Council voted Monday in a closed session to settle with Jennings ahead of a potential lawsuit over now former-Council member Tariq Bokhari’s push to get new bulletproof vests for police officers, WFAE reported. Charlotte Observer news partner WSOC, which first reported Friday city leaders were considering settling with Jennings, reported the decision was rooted in an earlier closed session vote.
Lyles declined to comment on a potential settlement but told reporters after Monday’s closed session she “stands with the chief.”
Asked by an Observer reporter after Monday’s closed session about the City Council approving a settlement before a lawsuit is filed, Lyles said she’s “not the right person” to ask.
“I’m not a lawyer,” she said.
Reported settlement with CMPD chief
The settlement agreed to Monday is believed to be for more than $100,000, WFAE reported. Jennings’ yearly salary is $280,334.
Council members voted during a previous closed session at their April 28 meeting on a potential settlement, WSOC reported Friday, but failed to meet a threshold for approval with multiple members absent from the meeting.
WSOC reported Tuesday the previous vote was deemed to meet the 6-member threshold under council rules because of a council member who left the meeting without being formally excused.
Multiple City Council members declined to speak with an Observer reporter about a settlement deal.
State law allows for closed session votes on settlements, but the terms must be made public “as soon as possible with a reasonable time after the settlement is concluded,” attorney Mike Tadych told the Observer. The Charlotte Observer has filed a public records request for the settlement reportedly approved Monday.
Friction over police equipment
The potential lawsuit reportedly stemmed from friction between Bokhari and Jennings over outer-carrier vests for police.
Bokhari called for the city to invest in additional equipment for CMPD, including the vests, in the wake of the shooting in the Shannon Park area in April 2024 that left four law enforcement officers dead, the Observer reported at the time. He said the idea came from police officers.
The then-council member withdrew the budget request for the vests, citing CMPD concerns, but continued to advocate for them on his personal website, social media and in interviews. Bokhari and Jennings exchanged heated text messages during the debate, WFAE reported previously. CMPD told officers in August they could request the vests, the Observer reported previously.
Jennings felt “he was unfairly targeted and suffered reputational damage” during the saga, WSOC reported citing sources close to the chief.
Jennings on Monday declined an interview request.
Rev. Corine Mack, president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP, confirmed she filed an ethics complaint against Bokhari in January over the issue. The complaint claimed Bokhari and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police “began a crusade against” Jennings.
“I sat back and watched how (Bokhari) attacked Black men in leadership in the city for the last two or three years,” Mack said Monday. “I knew that this was becoming a practice of his.”
Mack said she was told by interim City Attorney Anthony Fox she didn’t have enough evidence to prove wrongdoing. WSOC reported two top Jennings aides advised her on her complaint.
Bokhari stepped down from the City Council in April to become deputy administrator for the Federal Transit Administration.
He declined to comment for this story.
Lyles: Jennings ‘one of the best’
Asked by reporters after Monday’s closed sessions if the public should be concerned about the city’s relationship with Jennings, Lyles endorsed his performance.
“He’s one of the best chiefs in this country,” she said.
Observer reporter Jeff A. Chamer contributed to this story.
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 11:00 AM.
