Position/philosophy statement
I believe that the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office must serve this community with the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and accountability-upholding the law impartially, managing public resources responsibly and upholding trust.
Current Occupation
Retired Chief Deputy Sheriff
Age (optional)
58
Campaign Phone
(704)622-4009
What truly distinguishes me from the other candidates for Sheriff is my extensive, direct experience within the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. I am the only candidate with three decades of service in this very agency. I started as an entry-level deputy sheriff and worked my way up through the ranks, ultimately retiring as Chief Deputy—the second highest position within the department. Over the course of my career, I have worked in every major division of the Sheriff’s Office, gaining invaluable insights and making significant contributions along the way. My experience includes budgeting, authoring policies, and operational plans that continue to shape the organization today and these experiences set me apart from the field.
The most important issue facing the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office today is staffing. Every service that the Sheriff’s Office is mandated to provide is predicated on the ability to adequately staff. The Sheriff's Office depends on well-trained deputies, detention officers, and support personnel to provide exceptional service. I would prioritize recruitment, retention, and wellness in order to serve this community professionally and safely. Accountability from the top down and reestablishing a healthy workplace culture is another important issue. The Sheriff sets the tone, and I will establish clear expectations and direction for the organization and will model what professionalism should look like from your elected Sheriff.
If elected Sheriff, I will focus on enhancing the Sheriff’s Office by improving operations, safety, professionalism, and public trust. To attract and keep qualified staff, I support competitive wages, better working conditions, and clear professional career pathways. Training will be updated to prioritize the professional development of our employees. Improving detention operations through better healthcare, refined intake procedures, and data-driven solutions. I plan to foster partnerships for reentry and diversion to lower repeat offenses and optimize resources. Greater transparency and accountability will be achieved with improved data collection, public reporting to show results.
One of the most persistent challenges the Sheriff’s Office faces is staffing and strained detention operations and adding more funding to ensure we are among the premier organizations in terms of competitive pay, benefits, and services will significantly benefit our recruiting efforts.
The Sheriff’s Office offers a wide range of programs to those in custody with the goal of improving outcomes after incarceration. Additional funding would allow us to strengthen these programmatic offerings and expand reentry services, which would help reduce recidivism and promote community safety.
There are ongoing technology and equipment needs and increased funding would support essential upgrades to enhance safety and efficiency.
It starts with education, GED, vocational, digital literacy, and other programs offerings in our detention center to prepare returning citizens back in the community with a legitimate chance for future success. Then I want to strengthen reentry coordination with county and community organizations and be that bridge to connect people to service they need to stay out of jail.
I want to be a conduit to connect people to groups and services that support returning citizens and help them navigate after release. When people returning are prepared, supported and connected we all benefit and our community is safer.
I'm Rodney Collins, and I'm running for Mecklenburg County Sheriff. With thirty years of experience, I believe public safety requires strong leadership. Our county faces challenges like jail system strain, staffing shortages, and fragile public trust. My priorities are improving pay and training to stabilize our workforce, maintaining safe detention facilities, and meeting constitutional standards.
I aim to reduce repeat offenses by expanding education and reentry programs so people leave custody prepared for success. Transparency, accountability, and fairness are vital. I advocate for clear policies, honest communication, and professional oversight. My law enforcement philosophy emphasizes protecting rights, and treating everyone with dignity. This campaign is about moving Mecklenburg County beyond the current and towards lasting stability and trust. With proven leadership, we can build a Sheriff's Office that effectively serves our justice system, and our community.
Position/philosophy statement
If you don’t have a plan someone has a plan for YOU./ I am the Dream of My Ancestors.
Current Occupation
The Sheriff of Mecklenburg
Age (optional)
65
Campaign Phone
704-906-2982
I am the current elected Sheriff, which gives me a clear advantage over every other candidate in this race. I have not lead from the sideline, I led from the front during a global pandemic, civil unrest, the Black Lives Matter movement, and an ongoing immigration crisis affecting communities across America. In each of these moments, I proved that leadership matters. I led with courage, facts, and faith ever when it was not popular with the media and others. I also bring more than four decades of continuous law-enforcement experience, earning appointments to every major executive-level Sheriff’s board in America. Under my leadership, this Sheriff’s Office has engaged with this community in ways no previous administration ever accomplished.
Staffing and Recruiting
Staffing is harder than it has ever been. Years of negative narratives about law enforcement combined with seven agencies in Mecklenburg County recruiting from the same limited poo have created real competition for qualified candidates. We don’t complain about it; we confront it with better leadership, accountability, and a culture people actually want to work in.
Mental Health
More Mental Health programs. We will continue to strengthen mental-health support for both our staff and those in our custody because healthy employees perform better, and humane treatment of residents is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do.
Re-Entry
Stronger Re-Entry for our returning Citizen to help create safer communities .
More Faith-Based & Mentorship Programs that will connect with them upon release and commit 90 days after their release
Youth & Young Adult Intervention
Early intervention for 18–25 year olds.
Veterans Services
Dedicated support and VA connections.
Veterans should not fall through the cracks.
Expanded Mental Health Treatment
Ongoing therapy and Suicide prevention
Substance Abuse Treatment began in 2024
Medication-assisted treatment began in 2024
Relapse prevention before release, not after.
Re-Entry Planning From Day One
IDs, benefits, housing, and job placement started at intake.
Release without a plan is a setup for failure.
Mental Health
Expand in-custody behavioral health care, Hire more licensed clinicians staff to reduce suicides, self-harm, and repeat incarceration.
Recruiting and Staffing
Competitive pay, retention bonuses, and real wellness which leads to chronic understaffing that leads to burnout, that leads mistakes because you can’t run an agency on overtime forever.
Community Engagement
It would help fund a full-time outreach program for youth
Housing for the Homeless After Evictions
Funding allows partnerships with housing providers because stable housing reduces repeat arrests
Housing for Our Returning citizens with support services. Because most of them have no where to go at least for the first 90 days after being incarcerated.
Under my leadership The Mecklenburg County Sheriff Office open North Carolina’s first ever Post Release Center in 2024 and has now served over 200 recently released individuals who are seeking employment, social services, identification cards, Social Security cards, and any other thing that would help them to get back on their feet and backing into Community better than their left
We also have program called The Next Great 50 entrepreneurship program is the only of it’s kind in the United States which offers and create a business and entrepreneurship with an and LLC, credit repair and and a website along with the knowledge to continually run their business after leaving the detention center. This is one of it’s kind in the US in correction
As your I keep my word. Every promise I made to you in my 2018 election and my reelection campaign in 2022 fulfilled.
Not some. Not most but each and every one of them. I did that because this community depends on its Sheriff, and I take that responsibility seriously. I created initiatives inside the Detention Center that are now nationally recognized. I currently serve on multiple national sheriff boards and on the Board of the American Correctional Association, which governs certified correctional facilities across America and I serve as Chair of Detentions for all certified correction facilities to include Chairman of The Board for Sheriff. I have served this community faithfully for more than four decades. I have led this agency through some of the most difficult moments in its history like COVID in which No one died during that time with more that 1600 inmates ( residents) and through it all, I did not fail my staff, the resident our facilities, or Mecklenburg County as Sheriff.
Position/philosophy statement
Leadership begins with accountability. The Sheriff’s Office must serve with integrity, transparency, and respect for the Constitution. Public safety and public trust go together. As Sheriff, I will work to strengthen communities and restore trust.
Current Occupation
Material logistic specialist
Age (optional)
37
Campaign Phone
704-343-1346
I served as a Detention Officer in the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, giving me firsthand experience inside the jail system. I currently serve as a union shop steward, representing and advocating for employees, which has strengthened my leadership, negotiation, and accountability skills. My background in logistics has sharpened my operational and organizational abilities. I understand the realities deputies and detention staff face and am committed to safer communities, professional standards, and restoring public trust.
The most pressing challenge facing the Sheriff’s Office is restoring safety and accountability. This includes ensuring safe jail operations for both staff and inmates, reducing violence, addressing staffing shortages, and rebuilding public trust. Leadership must be transparent, proactive, and responsible. Without accountability at the top, morale suffers, safety declines, and community confidence erodes. The Sheriff’s Office must refocus on professional standards, operational stability, and protecting both the public and those who serve.
My priority is safety, retention, and service. I will implement a comprehensive Officer Retention Plan that improves staffing levels, strengthens training, increases internal support, and creates clear career advancement paths. Deputies and detention officers deserve leadership that listens and serves them.
We will enhance community customer service standards to ensure professionalism, responsiveness, and transparency in every interaction. I will also expand domestic violence outreach by strengthening victim advocacy partnerships, improving protective order enforcement, and prioritizing proactive protection for women and families.
Additional funding should prioritize reopening and properly staffing Jail North to reduce overcrowding and improve safety for both detention officers and inmates. We must invest in recruitment and retention initiatives, including competitive pay, targeted marketing campaigns, and expanded training programs. Funding should also strengthen domestic violence enforcement, victim advocacy partnerships, and protective order compliance. Investing in officer wellness, modern equipment, and professional development will improve morale, service delivery, and overall public safety.
I will strengthen reentry through structured mentorship programs, job readiness training, and partnerships with local employers willing to give returning citizens a second chance. We will expand GED access, vocational certifications, and life skills courses inside the jail so individuals leave better prepared than when they entered. I will also work with faith-based and community organizations to provide transitional support, housing referrals, and accountability mentorship. Successful reentry reduces repeat crime, strengthens families, and improves public safety for everyone.
Public safety begins with accountability, strong leadership, and respect for those who serve. Our deputies and detention officers deserve support, proper staffing, and leadership that prioritizes their safety. Our communities deserve professionalism, transparency, and consistent enforcement of the law.
As Sheriff, I will focus on restoring trust, strengthening internal operations, and protecting the most vulnerable, especially women and families facing domestic violence. We can reduce repeat crime, improve morale, and raise standards without playing politics.
This office should serve the people, not personal agendas. I am committed to responsible leadership, measurable results, and putting safety first.
Position/philosophy statement
I believe public safety and human dignity are not competing values—they go hand in hand. As Sheriff, my priority is to keep Mecklenburg County safe while ensuring our jail is secure, constitutional, and humane. That means professional leadership insi
Current Occupation
Sergeant with Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department
Age (optional)
64
Campaign Phone
7043122677
Campaign Youtube URL
I bring more than 40 years of law enforcement experience and am deeply dedicated to cultivating strong, ethical leadership. I have served in multiple capacities, including Supervisor for Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), Homicide Investigations, and Highway Interdiction and Traffic Safety, before becoming a highly sought-after sergeant. I have supervised hundreds of officers, building a culture of accountability and developing the administrative skills needed to lead well-managed divisions. I also founded a Homicide Support Group to care for grieving families who lost loved ones, which is why saving lives in the jail is critical to me. My combined experience ensures that I am prepared on day one.
The most critical challenge facing the Sheriff’s Office today is the loss of a record number of staff and the high turnover that follows. When experienced deputies and detention officers leave, safety is compromised for employees, people in custody, and the public. This instability also creates serious reputational risk, making recruitment, retention, and effective leadership more difficult. Culture matters, and leadership sets the tone. Throughout my career, I have built healthy, accountable work environments where people felt supported, trained, and valued. To date, I am the only candidate who has released my HR files to the media which speaks to my integrity and transparent leadership.
I would focus on stabilizing operations and saving lives. That includes reopening the Juvenile Detention Center (Jail North), which would allow youth offenders to remain closer to home instead of being transported across the county. Keeping young people near their families and support systems is critical to rehabilitation and long-term success. Secondly, reducing deaths in custody—currently exceeding 23—is a top priority and will require stronger oversight, timely mental health intervention, and clear accountability. Lastly, I will also ensure women in custody receive appropriate prenatal and maternal care, because healthcare is not optional.
With additional funding, the Sheriff’s Office could significantly improve staffing, training, and support services that directly impact safety and outcomes. Increased investment is needed for recruitment and retention to stabilize staffing levels, reduce burnout, and improve safety for deputies and detention officers. Funding could also strengthen mental health and medical services in the jail, expand training in crisis intervention and de-escalation, and enhance reentry and rehabilitation programs that reduce repeat incarceration. Strategic funding in these areas would improve working conditions, save lives, reduce liability, and ultimately make our community safer.
My experience as a School Resource Officer shaped how I approach public safety and prevention. Working directly with young people, I saw firsthand how early intervention—not punishment—can change the trajectory of a child’s life. I partnered with educators, families, and community providers to implement intervention practices focused on accountability, mentorship, and support rather than automatic arrest. That same approach guides my reentry strategy today, which includes pre-release planning, access to mental health and substance-use treatment, job readiness and education, help securing identification, and strong partnerships with community organizations for housing and employment.
I have wanted to serve in this role since I was a child. Growing up, I believed deeply in service, accountability, and protecting others, and that belief carried me into a lifelong career with CMPD and later into work connected with the Carolina Panthers, where professionalism, teamwork, and responsibility were non-negotiable. Law enforcement was never just a job for me—it was a calling. Over decades of service, I have seen the best and worst moments of people’s lives, and those experiences shaped who I am as a leader. I am running for Sheriff because saving lives matter to me. A jail sentence should never become a death sentence. People in custody are still someone’s child, parent, or loved one, and they deserve safety and care while also being held accountable. I am committed to leading with humanity, accountability, and a deep respect for life.
