Seven new African-American sheriffs were voted into office in the November midterms, and among them is Danny Rogers. On Monday, Dec. 3 Rogers became the first African-American at the helm of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office.
Rogers ran on a platform of positive change for all residents of Guilford County and ousted BJ Barnes who had served in the position for 24 years. Rogers’ stated goals included building trust, prioritizing effective community policing efforts and increasing morale. The latter is raising eyebrows as Rogers first announcement was his plan to cut more than two dozen employees.
Earlier this month he brought together law enforcement officials from around the Triad for a press conference in which he spoke out against gun violence and asked community members to be proactive if they have information on open cases. Rogers joins host Frank Stasio live from Triad Stage in Greensboro to share his plans for Guilford County.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
Rogers on what changed since he first ran against Barnes in 2014:
I think people got a chance to learn … Who I am. I campaigned on transparency. I campaigned on being real. I campaigned on life experiences.
Rogers on deepening the relationship between law enforcement and the community:
What we have to do as a law enforcement agency is … prepare our men and women to be able to deal with people of different cultures. Meet them where they’re at. Learn from them. And make sure we are able to take the tools that they have in the community and bring them into our toolboxes. And take our toolboxes out into the community, so we can work together.
Rogers on the communities’ concerns about traffic stops:
If a taillight is out, the person needs to be told their taillight is out. Once the person has been stopped for the taillight … and we’ve given them the warning … Then we’ll go from there. We’re not out looking for your tag light being out.
Rogers on his plans for the old Guilford County jail:
I don’t believe the citizens of Guilford County would want us to spend $17 million for an old building when we can get a new building for maybe the same amount or maybe less.
I did not run to be an ICE agent. I am a law enforcement manager.- Sheriff Danny Rogers
Rogers on the community concerns he witnessed during his campaign:
When I went to the black community, the issues were always improper arrests [and] abusiveness. When I went to undocumented communities, it was … [people saying:] we are documented, but we’re still getting harrassed. When I went to white communities, [they said:] there’s no one giving us an ear or really helping us out with the opioid epidemic.
