Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers has been dreaming of – and working toward – the day when he and his leadership team could finally move out of the dilapidated, flood-prone and, depending on who you ask, possibly haunted Otto Zenke Building, which has served as the Sheriff’s Office headquarters for decades.
That day has arrived.
After a process that stretched well over a decade from early conception to final completion, the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office is preparing to officially open its brand-new administrative headquarters at 401 West Sycamore Street in Greensboro.
The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 11 a.m. – marking the culmination of a long and often slow-moving effort to modernize the administrative heart of the Sheriff’s Office.
There’s a certain irony baked into the moment: The project took so long to come to fruition that Rogers himself may get less than a year to enjoy the building he pushed so, so hard to make a reality.
The filing period for the 2026 election has already produced a crowded field of candidates who want to see a new sheriff in town – and who want to potentially become the first sheriff to truly settle in and operate the nice, new, expensive, long-awaited headquarters that Rogers spent years shepherding from idea to concrete and steel.
The new building stands on the site of the former Guilford County Law Enforcement Center, which opened in 1975. At the time, that complex housed nearly everything under the county’s criminal justice umbrella – the Detention Center, the Office of the Sheriff, the Magistrate’s Office, the Legal Process Division, and patrol district offices.
The nearby Guilford County Courthouse opened a year earlier, in 1974, anchoring what was then a modern vision for law enforcement and judicial operations in downtown Greensboro.
Construction firms Blum Construction and D.H. Griffin once described the original Law Enforcement Center as a “1,000-year building,” a nod to the strength and durability of its foundation. Rather than scrap that base entirely, the county chose to preserve the original foundation and framework, incorporating them into a fully modernized facility designed to meet today’s operational and administrative needs.
The result is a building that’s technically rooted in the past while unmistakably built for the present.
The Sheriff’s Office officially began transitioning into the new headquarters in November 2025. That move consolidated a range of administrative and support divisions under one roof including the Executive Command Staff, the Personnel and Training Division, the Legal Process Division, the Resource Management Division, the Professional Standards Division and the Sheriff’s Office legal team.
County officials say that the centralized layout is intended to improve efficiency and coordination while better serving Guilford County residents.
Despite its size and prominence, the building isn’t intended to function as a public-facing hub in the way a courthouse or detention facility does. Instead, public access is limited to the services provided by the administrative divisions housed inside.
Patrol operations and detention services remain unchanged by the move – a point the Sheriff’s Office has emphasized to avoid confusion.
The transition also marks the end of the road for the Otto Zenke Building, which has housed the Sheriff’s Office since 1998. Former Sheriff B.J. Barnes relocated administrative offices there that year, and by around 2014 the building was occupied solely by the Sheriff’s Office.
Originally the private residence of noted interior designer Otto Zenke, the structure had long been criticized as being ill-suited for modern law enforcement administration. Once fully vacated, it will be demolished.
The site will be redeveloped into approximately 12 public parking spaces along with a fenced parking lot containing 127 spaces designated for Sheriff’s Office personnel.
Planning for the new headquarters formally began in 2019 but earlier versions were being worked on way before that.
Preparation work followed in 2022, demolition of the former structure began in 2024 under D.H. Griffin, and construction was completed by Blum Construction in November 2025. The timeline reflects both the complexity of the project and the reality of large-scale county construction efforts, which often advance in fits and starts.
One huge setback was a fallout over minority hiring quotas and an ensuing dispute that killed a giant construction contract between Samet Corp and Guilford County and added millions in cost to the project.
The history of the site mirrors the history of the Sheriff’s Office itself. Former Sheriff Paul Gibson led the office when the Law Enforcement Center opened in 1975. Since then, Guilford County has been served by Sheriffs Profitt, Birch, Barnes, and now Rogers, who’s held the position since 2018.
For Rogers, the opening of the new headquarters represents one of the most tangible and lasting accomplishments of his tenure, regardless of what happens in the upcoming election.
The January 14 event will include remarks from Sheriff Rogers, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and opportunities for media to capture exterior and interior visuals of the new facility.
The Sheriff’s Office is taking this opportunity to publicly express appreciation to Blum Construction, D.H. Griffin, all subcontractors involved with the project, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, Guilford County Facilities Director Eric Hilton, Project Manager Ian Huffman, and GCSO Resource Management Captain W. Mecham for their roles in bringing the project to completion.
After decades of working out of buildings that were never designed for the demands of a modern sheriff’s office, Guilford County deputies and administrators finally have a headquarters built with that specific purpose in mind. Whether Sheriff Rogers is the one who ultimately gets to enjoy it the longest remains an open question – however, the building itself is now very much a reality and, even if things don’t go his way, the building will be there standing for the new top occupant.
The building replaced referred to as the new jail in 1975, was overcrowded the day it opened as far as sheriffs administration goes. I was a detective in Vice/Narcotics which was located in the building along with all detectives for the county. Personnel, Civil, Patrol, Training, Transportation and administration were in there as well. The jail and jail administration. The building had underground parking which was inadequate but functional on first come basis. I applaud the county for finally finishing a project, though greatly over budget. I hope it serves the sheriffs office well, the officers deserve it, as do the citizens.
It is not an open question on whether Sheriff Roger’s will get to enjoy it. You guys need to come to grips with the fact that if he wants the job it’s his county demographics are not more favorable for anyone looking to unseat him of any other Black candidate in this county giving your readers false hope and a reason to be even more upset when he does win is doing them a disservice.
So no real qualifications needed? Vote based on race only. There in is the problem with Guilford County and Greensboro city. Still stuck in the 60s. I’ll vote based on who I believe is qualified, not the skin color.
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Big City’s rationale :
Black Face Good, White Face Bad.
Black Face Good, White Face Bad.
Black Face Good, White Face Baad.
[ nod to Animal Farm ]
Now now Austin, haven’t you heard it’s not possible for black people to be racist. I’m really surprised at you.
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Well that’s what the Hard Left tell us, isn’t it? In my experience dealing with the public in my business for 34 years, black people are much, much more race conscious than white people who generally don’t care.
They’re even acutely aware of the exact tone (lighter/darker) of other black people.
It’s widely understood that the project exceeded its budget. If that’s the case, will that deficit be rolled into future yearly budgets and quietly passed on to taxpayers? These are fair questions that deserve clear answers.
Lately, transparency doesn’t seem to follow Sheriff Danny Rogers. When questions are asked, answers are hard to come by. Accountability and openness should never be optional when public money is involved.
Single shot voting is how he got there. Single shot voting is how he will stay there. Qualified, or qualifications be damned. Tells you everything you need to know about the voters, and the state of the city.
Unfortunately the only way we are getting rid of Rodgers is a democratic primary or diabetes
From direct interactions & experiences, GCSO Resource Management Captain W. Mecham couldn’t find his way out of a wet paper bag with two people giving directions. It will be a great day for Guilford County when that individual finally retires. A day that many within the ranks will certainly welcome with glee. I fully believe in celebrating greatness, competence & sincerity. Mediocrity, incompetence & being disingenous, not so much.
The building is much needed but is too small to account for much, if any, growth. That may be a positive thing once someone with a solid vision who doesn’t mind cutting the waste of non-mandated services takes office, be that in 1 year or 101.
Scott can someone please explain what kind of taxpayer paid for dumba$$ hats is Danny’s posse wearing in the picture
Anyone who has not yet sold their property and moved on from Guilford County!
Danny pays over $2,000 for a hat he can get in Boot Barn for $300. I don’t know why he even bothers to wear that hat. He’s not country. He’s no sheriff. He’s a walking joking clown. He uses our hard earned tax money to go on trips that he shouldn’t be going on. He uses our money to buy those ridiculous hats that they wear. He uses our tax money for everything and sits back and laughs about it. Look at all the places he’s been traveling since he’s been in office. And we pay for that.
Danny is always wasting money for the Photo Ops. If the Republicans will come out and vote William “Billy” Queen in for Sheriff, everyone would see a major difference in the Sheriff’s office. People are unhappy, just looking to get their time in and retire. Many have left to go to work other agencies. There are still close to 100 vacancies. I heard Mr. Queen speak at the GOP event on the 12th and he makes a good point that things have been run the same way or worse for the past # of years. and nothing has changed. He has many years of experience outside of the Sheriff’s office and will make it a professional agency. That’s what it will take. We just got to get all Republicans out to vote to make a positive change.
Mike, you are absolutely right. Billy Queen is the only Republican candiate that has a real resume and the experience to change things instead of just going back to the same old smoke and mirrors of the past. The problem though is there aren’t enough Republican voters left in Guilford county to win any election race.
Not disputing your claim at all, rather expanding on the idea: Not all Democrats will vote for a Democrat in every race, every time, nor Republicans vote for Republicans every time, in every race. Independents & third parties will determine more & more races in the near future. I think more & more folks are growing tired of the same ol’ $#!+ from both of the current major parties. I certainly can’t claim either one in good conscience today. Personally, I couldn’t care less about how much the hat costs, as long as its being paid for with personal funds. The county has tight controls and all requests for spending, with very few exceptions, are reviewed prior to monies being authorized for payment. Payments outside this fall under contracts, emergency purchases, or credit-card transactions that are more closely scrutinized than any of the above. Frankly, I feel the money spent on hats for the command staff, or rank & file could probably be better spent on other things, but if that’s the image your elected official has chosen to project, that is certainly his prerogative
Take a look at the past several elections in Guilford County. Democrats won almost every single race. In the 2024 election results I believe only one republican candidate won and that was Blust for a state senate seat. Democrats in Guilford won all the rest. Republicans are third in numbers in Guilford and even the independent voters far out number Republicans. Go look at the results on the state board of election website and you’ll quickly understand the voting demographics of Guilford county and why it’s now almost impossible for a Republican to win anything in Guilford county. Barnes got beat by over ten thousand votes and the Republican Sheriff’s candidate that ran last time got beat by over twenty thousand votes. With Roy Cooper running and bringing out more democrat voters the numbers will probably be even larger this time. Many Republicans saw the coming demographics and moved out of Guilford.
HW
You failed to factor in the percentage of registered voters vs. those that ACTUALLY get off their 4th point of contact and get out and vote.
And to be honest, if I could afford it and could convince the boss I would be out of here so fast the only thing left would be my afterimage.
Another factor is I have a problem with tucking my tail.
All I’m asking for is transparency. Can someone please post the original bid amount and the final total cost? I keep hearing that this project went way over budget, and taxpayers deserve to see the numbers from start to finish.
Cost overruns happen, everyone understands that. But if officials knew early on that the project would end up millions over budget, why wasn’t that discussed openly? Why wasn’t it factored in from the beginning?
Danny has got to go! He is wasting taxpayer money on ridiculous trips and a hat he can get in Boot Barn for $300! Yet to my understanding he paid $2,000 for the one he wears. That is asinine and is unfair to the taxpayers in Guilford county. We should not be paying for trips he wants to take. He doesn’t have to take those, they are not required. He wants to take them because he thinks he’s something he’s not. He is not a law enforcement officer, he is a freaking joke! He has done more harm to our County during his time as sheriff. He doesn’t care about the citizens of Guilford county, he only cares about looking good. He’s got to go.
BigCity is right about one thing. Blacks are tribal. And we know what tribes do. They have strong in-group loyalty and often a negative view of outsiders. Never, ever allow tribes to be in charge. That’s why non-tribes must vote in 2026 if honesty, sanity, effectiveness, fairness, and meritocracy are to be restored. Let the Somalia invasion be your guide.
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Blacks are indeed tribal, and they normally vote as a block.
Last year I was talking to a Greensboro customer of my business who mentioned that she knew Jim Kee. He was running for City Council, and I said that I liked him. She agreed enthusiastically, remarking that he was a good guy, so I asked her if she was going to vote for him.
“Oh no – he’s a Republican” she replied.
There you have it.
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Sorry, I forgot to mention that the customer was black too. She simply couldn’t countenance voting for Jim Kee because he had left the reservation, become a Republican, and was persona non grata to her – despite acknowledging that he’s a good guy.
add these tribes – zionists, islamists, mormons, feminists, vegetarians, teachers, medical professionals . . . let the palestine invasion be your guide ?
Look at that clown… what goddamned disgrace to that office.
My My My, the Sheriff does have a uniform. Most of the time he’s in jeans and that pink clowns vest. Real professional.