In order to maintain the trust of the citizens we serve and to ensure professionalism and ethical conduct, the Office of Professional Compliance conducts thorough, impartial, and fair administrative investigations of any Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office employee accused of misconduct. The Office of Professional Compliance reports investigative findings directly to the Sheriff of Mecklenburg County.
MCSO is committed to providing professional services to the community and to being accountable to our citizenry. If you find the need to file a complaint against any Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office employee, please try to obtain as much specific information as possible such as the date, time of the incident, name or description of the employee, and the names and addresses of any witnesses to the incident. You may ask uniformed personnel for their code number since badge numbers are not used as an employee identifier.
Complaints may be filed online, by telephone, by email, mail or in person at:
Office of Professional Compliance
901 Elizabeth Avenue, Suite 400
Charlotte, NC 28204
(980) 314-5840
If the allegation(s) made against the employee(s) are sustained the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office cannot release to you any information regarding the disciplinary action taken against our employee(s). The investigation may also reveal that employee(s) acted properly or that there is not enough information available to prove or disprove the allegation(s).
A complaint is filed in one of the following ways:
When a complaint is received by the Office of Professional Compliance it is recorded for investigation. The complaint receives a tracking number assigned by the Office of Professional Compliance and is routed consistent with policy to the appropriate unit supervisor for investigation. Routing considerations include:
The Categories of Misconduct:
Once the investigation is complete each allegation of employee misconduct is adjudicated in one of the following ways:
Cases Investigated by the Office of Professional Compliance.
When an investigation reveals a fair probability that an employee has engaged in misconduct, the Office of Professional Compliance drafts a document that specifies the alleged misconduct violation and summarizes the events that support the allegation. The Office of Professional Compliance also coordinates and schedules a Chain of Command Review Board Hearing for that employee. The members of the review board include the accused employee’s chain of command. The members of the review board question and hear from the accused during the hearing to fully understand all facts necessary to make a finding.
The Chief Deputy will inform the employee of the review board findings and the disciplinary sanctions that can range from counseling, written reprimand, suspension without pay, or termination of employment. It is only after thoughtful consideration of all relevant information that the Sheriff makes a final determination regarding the status of employment with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office and the application of disciplinary sanctions against an employee for sustained Category A level violations. Although there may be extenuating circumstances that can cause delay, our goal is to adjudicate all allegations within 60 days. All decisions are final; there is no appeal.
**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.