NEWTON, N.C. — The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office is spending thousands of dollars to transport and house more than 100 detainees in detention centers across the state as they address a severe staffing shortage at the detention center in Uptown.
Sheriff Garry McFadden (D) said he requested help from other sheriffs on Dec. 22, though he didn't publicly discuss the request until two weeks ago after state inspectors announced the detention center was not meeting minimum supervision requirements.
"99 sheriffs across the state," Sheriff McFadden said. "Only five agencies responded with help."
Catawba, Gaston, Caldwell, Craven and Wake Counties all agreed to house detainees.
Catawba County Sheriff Don Brown (R) said they originally held 15 detainees, but they're currently holding nine people.
He said receiving these types of requests from other sheriffs is common.
"We take care of one another," Sheriff Brown said. "We're all a pretty tight-knit group."
Sheriff Brown said Sheriff McFadden sent a request to the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, which distributed his request to the other 99 sheriffs.
"We contact them back and say, 'We're willing to help,'" Sheriff Brown said. "We can help, and we have the space."
Sheriff McFadden’s office said Catawba County is the only one of the five counties that are charging $40 a day for each detainee, which totals $360 a day and $2,520 a week for nine detainees.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: NCDHHS inspection finds Meck Detention Center failed to meet minimum supervision requirements
"They have meals, we have medical here and of course, we have to pay for our staffing," Sheriff Brown said. "That just offsets all that so that we recoup that money from the county which we're helping out."
Mecklenburg County is using its own deputies to drive detainees to the other counties.
Craven County’s detention center in Eastern North Carolina is eight hours roundtrip, the farthest drive of the five counties.
WCNC Charlotte requested a breakdown of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Offices transport expenses.
From his own county's experiences, Sheriff Brown said transport costs can add up, especially with rising fuel prices and the number of deputies needed to keep the transport process secure.
"It can be a stressful time especially if you have a large number of inmates that you have to move," Sheriff Brown said.
State inspectors ordered Sheriff McFadden to make corrections to the Mecklenburg County Detention Center by March 11, and Sheriff McFadden said all corrections will be completed before the deadline.
Contact Brandon Golder at bgoldner@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.