The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association (NCSA) has put out a statement condemning the allegations of recorded comments by Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden, calling his words “inflammatory, racially derogatory, insulting, and offensive.”
Last week Chief Deputy Kevin Canty of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office resigned from his position accusing McFadden of creating a “toxic and abusive work environment” according to an interview with WBTV.
“I think the way that he treats employees is deplorable. He bullies employees, he threatens employees,” Canty said. “I think that there are people in this county who would be or who are much more qualified to be sheriff of Mecklenburg County than him.”
In audio recordings produced by Canty, Chief McFadden can allegedly be heard using racially charged language to describe both white and black officers in the department.
Charlotte television station, WBTV reported a recording of McFadden.
“I know I can’t trust that captain. But that captain, that white cracker captain, is better than the other seven captains upstairs,” McFadden is heard saying in the recording. “What are you gonna do? I’ve got seven Black captains upstairs,” .
The NCSA, which represents all 100 sheriffs in North Carolina, expressed their disapproval of these statements, saying they “shock the conscience” and emphasized that sheriffs should uphold “the highest standards of professionalism, ethics, principles, and morals and should serve their communities regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, or sex.”
During the Platoon 2404 graduation for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff Department, which took place last week, McFadden briefly addressed the allegations.
“We’re gonna take care of the elephant in the room, my character and my integrity are being criticized, but let me assure you this – and you can ask anybody. If you believe I’m racist, you need to talk to me,” said McFadden. “The reason I can not be racist, because I don’t want anybody to go through what I go through since I was born into this world as a black man.”
watch here:
In response, the NCSA’s Executive Committee voted unanimously to inquire further into the comments.
McFadden is among fewer than a dozen North Carolina sheriffs that has refused to cooperate with federal US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, leading the North Carolina General Assembly to include ICE cooperation requirements in HB10, which passed the state legislature in July. Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the bill, but the NC Senate voted to override the veto in September. The NC House is expected to complete the override when they return to Raleigh next week.