CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sheriff Garry McFadden presented the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners with his plan to address staffing issues Tuesday following a state inspection that found the jail had severe shortages and failed to adequately supervise inmates.
Staffing has been a concern at the jail central in Uptown Charlotte for some time. Last month, WCNC Charlotte learned the sheriff's office entered into a contract with a New York-based private security company to provide guards through at least the end of June. The state gave McFadden until March 11 to fix the issues identified in their report.
A WCNC Charlotte investigation discovered an increase in violent attacks against guards and staffing shortage issues that resulted in a lack of inmate supervision on a consistent basis. An inspection by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services found the Mecklenburg County Detention Center failed to meet minimum supervision requirements. The inspection was completed following a formal complaint that was filed by the Fraternal Order of Police in December.
At one point in the inspection, the findings note that to be fully staffed, each shift would have 80 detention staff working. In a list that follows detailing a records review of select dates in March, April, May, September, October, November and December, the inspection found several days that were understaffed by as many as 27 people.
McFadden and his staff said they will likely propose retention bonuses to be more attractive for new hires and retain the employees they have.
In mid-February, McFadden held a news conference saying he believed the Mecklenburg County Jail is a safe place and attributed the staffing issues to COVID-19 and the "Great Resignation."
In his response to state inspectors, Sheriff McFadden said administrators will review digital entries filed by detention officers to ensure that they conducted the correct number of rounds in compliance with state regulations.
The sheriff also said they made changes to the training curriculum of new detention officers to ensure they're adequately prepared before working in the detention center.
During his presentation to commissioners, Sheriff McFadden claimed inspectors unfairly singled out the detention center, claiming they only spent one to two hours inside the facility.
McFadden also said the jail would not shut down.
"That is not going to happen under my watch," he told county commissioners.
The state inspection also called for the jail to reduce its inmate population to less than 1,000. Currently, there are roughly 1,300 inmates, according to McFadden.
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"That's not our job to lower the levels," McFadden told WCNC Charlotte's Brandon Goldner. "We will work towards asking people to lower the levels, but we are simply in custody and care. The courts and the lawyers lower the level inside the detention center, we don't."
Contact Brandon Golder at bgoldner@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Contact Hunter Sáenz at hsaenz@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.