Retired Chief Deputy Sheriff Rodney Collins has 30 years of Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office experience, starting as a deputy sheriff and ascending through the ranks to chief deputy. Rodney began his law enforcement career in the United States Air Force as a military policeman before returning back home to Charlotte to serve locally with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. 

During his distinguished military service career, he had the privilege of being one of a select few airmen assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon and was a member the United States Air Force Honor Guard of the highly decorated 11th Wing stationed at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

Chief Deputy Collins has worked in every major division within the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office during the course of his career, has sat on various professional boards and work groups in our local justice system, and has played a pivotal role in most Sheriff’s Office projects for decades.  Rodney has planned and coordinated the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office operational response for some major events in Mecklenburg County such as the Democratic National Convention in 2012, the Reverend Billy Graham’s funeral in 2018, a live full scale Active Shooter Exercise at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, and the Republican National Convention in 2020.

With years of dedicated public service Rodney Collins, has served on the Board of Directors for Right Moves for Youth, and the Police Athletic League; and is also an active member of the National Sheriff’s Association and National Organization for Black Law Enforcement Executives. In retirement Chief Deputy Collins continued his service working on the Equity in Criminal Justice Funding and Budgeting Committee with the National Criminal Justice Association. This committee played an integral part in the development of guidance documents to help devalued communities to establish meaningful relationships and access resources to advance public safety and equity in our criminal justice system.  

Retired Chief Deputy Collins is a product of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System, Rodney attended and graduated from Nations Ford Elementary, Kennedy Middle School, and Olympic (The Big O) High School. Rodney holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Pfeiffer University and is a distinguished graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command (Class # 138).

The citizens of Mecklenburg County deserve a proven law enforcement professional that fully understands the role and responsibilities of the Office of Sheriff from both the business and operational sides of the organization. Instead of a showboating, unqualified, and inept incumbent who’s is more concerned with self-promotion; citizens in this wonderful county ought to have a proven career law enforcement leader who respects the fact that as the elected Sheriff, “I work for you.”  Together, we can build a much better Sheriff’s Office.