OBJECTIVE: The role of the Chaplain within the MCSO setting is to focus on the spiritual care and encouragement of residents. And to respond with compassion and support all faiths in need of spiritual guidance or pastoral counseling during a time of personal crisis.
THE CHAPLAIN’S UNIT
The Chaplain’s Unit provides the residents housed in the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office detention facilities the opportunity to address the issues they face on a spiritual level that may have contributed to their criminal behavior and subsequent incarceration.
SERVICES
The Chaplain’s Unit offers Religious Studies, Pastoral Care, and distributes donated religious material to the residents. Contact Facility Chaplain at 980-314-5178 if you or your organization would like to donate religious material. Please be aware that the Detention Center cannot receive hardcover books.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
The Chaplain’s Unit, from time to time, offers volunteer opportunities in either the Chaplain’s Unit Office as a Chaplain Aide or with residents as a Religious Study instructor. If you are interested in either volunteer opportunity, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator at 980-314-5172 during business hours to find out what may be available. Please note there is an application process and mandatory training prior to any assignment.
Contact the Chaplain’s Unit with any additional questions or concerns at the following telephone numbers:
Detention Center Central Chaplain at 980-314-5179
Detention Center North Chaplain at 980-314-5178
CLERGY VISITS
We invite all clergy to visit residents, with the understanding that they must, first, obtain permission to do so. In order to obtain this permission, please call the Volunteer Coordinator at 980-314-5172 during normal business hours Monday through Friday. Interested clergy must have a valid driver’s license or photo ID and clergy/ministerial credentials (i.e. letter from religious organization stating your capacity with the organization).
Approved clergy need to register for visits with residents one of two ways before being allowed to schedule a visit with a resident.
or
GUIDELINES FOR CLERGY VISITATIONS
The term Clergy includes pastor, associate pastor, priest, imam, or an approved representative of an approved religious organization.
REASONS FOR TERMINATION OF CLERGY STATUS:
**SCAM ALERT**:
If you receive a call/message from 704-445-9833 stating "You have reached the Warrants/Citation Division of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Department" it is a #scam and not from MCSO.
MCSO and local criminal justice partners have worked with the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts to prepare for the state’s launch of its new electronic warrant system. The NCAOC has encountered challenges with its new system that have impacted local justice systems, processes and access to data. MCSO is continuously working with County IT to circumvent these challenges. All arrest/warrant inquiries can be submitted to the Public Information Office mcsopublicinformation@mecknc.gov and will be processed as soon as data is available or Individuals can call Arrest Processing to look up and verify warrants until the online system is restored, 980-314-5100. We appreciate your patience as we work to modernize and expand access to justice in Mecklenburg County.
On September 19, 2022, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) adopted a new policy to end regulatory stops for non-moving violations in its most recent amendment to the MCSO Uniform Traffic Enforcement Policy. In collaboration with North Carolina Forward Justice the policy change serves to focus more on hazardous traffic violations and move away from regulatory offenses that have been shown to create disparities and disproportionality in our criminal justice system.
General Order 20
Our office has received several complaints from Mecklenburg County registered sex offenders asking them to submit payment to avoid being arrested for failure to provide a DNA sample. Our agency will never ask for money to avoid a warrant being issued or for an arrest of any offender. If you receive a call from anyone requesting money, please know this is a scam and you should not submit any payment.
SCAM ALERT: We have have received information that individuals identifying themselves as MCSO Deputies are calling citizens and informing them that have warrants for missing jury duty. These calls have come from numbers 704-247-1286 and 404-907-1935. Please be advised that this is a SCAM. MCSO will never call and solicit money in order to avoid arrest. Please stay aware and don’t become a victim.