NC State ends partnership with CPI Security over its CEO’s police brutality email

The NC State University athletics department announced Sunday it was cutting ties with CPI Security after its CEO criticized protests against police brutality.

NC State said CPI sponsorship signs would be removed from all venues, and the department is “ending any partnership, effective immediately.” The University of South Carolina also ended its partnership with the CPI.

NC State’s decision came the day after the Carolina Panthers announced they were ending their longtime partnership with the Charlotte-based security company over an email from CPI Security CEO Ken Gill, The Charlotte Observer reported.

The Charlotte Hornets said Sunday they were ending their partnership with CPI, The Charlotte Observer reported.

In response to an open letter to Charlotte officials about police brutality from Queen City Unity leader Jorge Millares, Gill sent an email that said, “George, Please spend your time in a more productive way. I challenge your statistics. A better use of time would be to focus on black on black crime and senseless killing of our young men by other young men. Have a great day.”

Queen City Unity called Gill’s response insensitive and racist and posted the email on its Facebook page.

Gill later apologized in a statement, The Charlotte Observer reported, saying the comments did not reflect the company’s values.

“I fully support the call for racial equality and justice in our community and our country,” Gill said. “We (at CPI) take a great deal of pride in our inclusive culture and in protecting the families and diverse communities we serve.

“I apologize my comments did not reflect those values.”

This story was originally published June 7, 2020 at 3:44 PM with the headline "NC State ends partnership with CPI Security over its CEO’s police brutality email."