Former employees say Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden emotionally abused and retaliated against them, and put staff in danger at the jail through poor management.
McFadden’s former chief deputy, Kevin Canty, accused him of running the agency like a “third-world dictatorship” in a Nov. 1 resignation letter . Other former employees reached by The Charlotte Observer shared similar assessments of McFadden, who was re-elected in 2022 for a second term as sheriff and has been in local law enforcement for more than 40 years.
McFadden is “the biggest narcissist,” said a retired employee.
“A coward,” said his last business director, whom he fired in November.
“He thinks he’s godlike,” a fired detention officer said.
With his past work as a homicide detective, McFadden holds high standing among many in Charlotte. But the seven former employees the Observer spoke to, including Canty, described him as a vindictive, paranoid and ego-driven boss.
They ranged from a detention officer to high-ranking administrators. Four spoke on the record, and three asked not to be identified. Those three said they were traumatized, concerned about further retaliation or ready to move on from their time working for the sheriff.