Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office

Mecklenburg County’s Juvenile Detention Center would close this December under the county manager’s budget recommendation. That would mean many teenagers would go to facilities as far as three or four hours away from their families and lawyers.

The race for Mecklenburg County sheriff was one of the most intense contests in the Charlotte area on the May 17 primary. Incumbent Sheriff Garry McFadden, a Democrat, was challenged by two former sheriff's office employees, Gina Hicks and Marquis Robinson. Without a Republican primary, this effectively decides the race.

The management of the jail in uptown Charlotte and how it affects safety there has become the main issue in the race among Sheriff Garry McFadden and challengers Gina Hicks and Marquis Robinson in the May 17 Democratic primary.

The safety of Mecklenburg County’s main jail has become a big issue. In December, the state said staffing shortages were posing a safety threat, and it is the top topic in this month's Democratic primary for sheriff. Now retired Maj. Jeff Eason said much of the jail's problems were the result of Sheriff Garry McFadden's management style.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a woman died in custody at the Mecklenburg County Jail on Wednesday.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden says a deputy was shot during a traffic stop in Charlotte then returned fire and hit the shooter.

Staff members at the Mecklenburg County jail are making repairs and cleaning up the facility after a state inspection found several health and safety violations last month.

Staffing shortages at the jail in uptown Charlotte, exacerbated by COVID-19, have prompted North Carolina health officials to ask the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office to reduce its inmate population. The state says current conditions “jeopardize the safe custody, safety health or welfare” of inmates and jail staff.

Three officers at the Mecklenburg County jail were assaulted by an inmate who they were trying to move to a disciplinary unit away from the general population, the sheriff's office said.

Six jail employees have been fired this year after being accused of crimes, and a report from The Charlotte Observer alleges staff violations in the deaths of two inmates. However, commissioners say the incidents prove the sheriff's commitment to accountability.