Garry L. McFadden: Positions, Voting Record and Sources

Candidate

Garry L. McFadden

Democrat · Incumbent

Sheriff of Mecklenburg County

Garry McFadden has been Mecklenburg County sheriff since December 2018 and is seeking a third term²³. He spent 36 years with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, largely as a homicide detective, and starred in the television series "I Am Homicide"². He won the March 2026 Democratic primary with about 34 percent of the vote and has no Republican opponent in November³¹.

Where they stand 2 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

ImmigrationNo single answer fitsmedium
Official action · medium confidence
- Ended the Sheriff's Office participation in the federal 287(g) immigration enforcement program after taking office in December 2018 and declined to honor ICE detainers before state law required it. (2018-12) source
- Said his office would follow House Bill 318 and cooperate with ICE as state law requires, but would not take part in immigration enforcement in the community. (2025-10) source
- Said 287(g), House Bill 10 and House Bill 318 erode community trust and divert local resources, while saying he would follow the laws once passed. (2025-03) source
Policing and crimeNo single answer fitslow
Said · low confidence
- Named domestic violence, community gun violence (which he said demands both enforcement and prevention) and evictions as his top public safety issues, and staffing and mental health programs as his office's biggest challenges. (2026-02) source

No public position found on: Guns, Marijuana, Qualified immunity.

Record

Sheriff of Mecklenburg County since December 2018²³.
Won the March 3, 2026 Democratic primary with 33.79 percent of the vote over Ricky Robbins, Rodney Collins and Antwain Nance³.
In January 2026 a state representative and four former Sheriff's Office employees filed a petition to remove him from office; District Attorney Spencer Merriweather asked the State Bureau of Investigation to review the allegations, and Superior Court Judge Stuart Albright dismissed the petition without ruling on its merits because neither the district attorney nor the county attorney had approved it⁷.
McFadden called the petition a smear campaign filled with lies and said he welcomed the investigation⁸.
As of March 2026 the State Bureau of Investigation inquiry was reported as ongoing; no charges had been reported in the sources reviewed³.

Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.

Sources (8)

Every claim on this page links to one of these