Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden has apologized for racial slurs that were secretly recorded — and published last week.
In the undated audio obtained by WBTV, McFadden calls an unidentified white captain a “cracker” and his now retired Chief Deputy Rodney Collins the n-word. Both Collins and McFadden are Black.
Just over a week after that report aired, the sheriff’s office responded Thursday with a one-minute video of McFadden.
“Today, I want to apologize for that language. Held to a higher standard. That’s the office of the sheriff. But you must understand that I’m human and I’m not perfect and I will make mistakes,” McFadden said.
McFadden goes on to say that former employees have the “luxury to talk openly and freely,” but says he cannot. Over the past couple of years, a few former employees have openly criticized McFadden and his management of the jail.
Former Chief Deputy Kevin Canty is the latest to speak. He resigned this month. Canty said he heard McFadden denigrate staff, make racist comments — and that the sheriff had “no leadership ability.”
Over McFadden’s nearly six years as sheriff, there have been 18 deaths at the detention center — more than previous sheriffs in a similar timeframe.
On Thursday, McFadden also announced a new chief of staff and director of business Operations, which he said would help the agency move forward.
