MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office has found a new solution to address the staffing shortage in the county jail.
The sheriff’s office said it hired a private security company to help out. A spokesperson for the MCSO said 27 guards will be hired and will cost $400,000 through June.
The contract says supervisors and armed guards will work at the courthouse, Mecklenburg County Detention Center Central, headquarters, and the MCSO Administrative Services building.
This is an amendment to an existing contract so Channel 9 has asked what work the company does with the sheriff’s office already.
As of the end of January, the jail was short 157 workers, or 33% of staff.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said during a news conference Friday he’s already addressed serious safety concerns at the jail described by the state. He also said he’s working to move hundreds of inmates out and bring more staff in.
Friday’s update came after a Dec. 21 inspection report from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, which said conditions at Mecklenburg County Detention Center Central are putting inmates’ and staff members’ safety at risk. The state also said more than 400 inmates need to be moved from the jail immediately.
“It’s a biannual inspection. It’s not an enforcement. It is a correction measure, and we welcome those corrective measures,” McFadden said.
The sheriff has 60 days to fix all the problems brought up in the state inspection report.
(WATCH BELOW: Report says conditions at Meck County detention center putting inmates, staff at risk)
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