Unlocking Our History
History of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office
In 1669 the Province of the Carolina was divided into counties and according to the original charter, there “shall be a….Sheriff.” In 1729, seven of the eight Lord Proprietors sold their land interest to the Crown and the Carolina Province was officially divided into the Royal Colonies of North and South Carolina. In 1762, the Provincial Assembly granted a petition to form Mecklenburg County from the western part of Anson County and on February 1, 1763 Mecklenburg County was created.
Since the formation of the State of North Carolina and the creation of Mecklenburg County on February 1, 1763, colonial law required there to be a “High Sheriff” of the County. Many of the responsibilities and duties assigned to the Sheriff today can be traced back to Mecklenburg County’s first Sheriff, Alexander Lewis who acted as the executive and the enforcement arm of the courts.
For over 250 years, forty-five High Sheriffs have served the citizens of Mecklenburg County by carrying out their responsibilities of the serving civil processes, the execution of judgments, evicting of tenants who default on their payments, and the seizure of property. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff is also responsible for the operation of North Carolina’s largest municipal detention system, which provides safe, humane and professional detention services to those incarcerated and awaiting trial.
The Office of Sheriff is mandated in the North Carolina Constitution and the Sheriff serves as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the County elected by the citizens for a four-year term. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office in its scope and territorial jurisdiction which encompasses all of Mecklenburg County has full law enforcement authority to enforce criminal laws, traffic laws, preserve the peace, and to prevent and detect crime. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office does not take 911 calls for service but make no mistake about it; we are a law enforcement organization that actively enforces the law to keep the citizens of this great county safe.
Sheriff's Office or Department- What's in a name?
Some often ask what’s the difference between a Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff’s Office? What’s the big deal anyway or is it just semantics? The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office believes wholeheartedly that there is a distinct difference in a Sheriff’s Department versus a Sheriff’s Office.
The Office of Sheriff is provided for by the North Carolina Constitution. Sheriffs occupy an elected office just like the Governor, Attorney General, or any other elected officers. Elected officers report solely to the citizens of their jurisdiction that elected them to serve.
In county government you’ll find many departments; the Health Department, the Department of Social Services and the Human Resources Department just to name a few. The head of each of these departments is not an elected official but an employee hired and supervised by the County Manager.
The Sheriff Office is distinctly different than any of the county governmental departments and it is an inaccurate characterization to refer to the Sheriff’s Office as the Sheriff’s Department due to these distinct differences, which is why we are appropriately titled as the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
