West Virginia State Police

Unreferenced|date=September 2008. The West Virginia State Police is a paramilitary organization, state law enforcement agency in the United States that provides statewide police services to the 1.83 million residents in West Virginia. It is the fourth oldest state police agency and was born in the second extraordinary session of the West Virginia Legislature on June 19, 1919 as a result of uprisings surrounding organized labor in the coal and mine industries.

History

Governor John Jacob Cornwell was insistent upon having a state police force which he said, "was mandatory in order for him to uphold the laws of our state." Part of the compromise was the name of the organization: "West Virginia Department of Public Safety" was the official name. However, over the years, most citizens had accepted "state police" as the unofficial name. During the 1995 legislative session, the name was officially changed to the West Virginia State Police.

The state police today

Like other state law enforcement agencies, West Virginia troopers enforce traffic laws statewide, investigate crimes and protect the governor and his immediate family. The superintendent of the West Virginia State Police, David Lemmon, appointed in January 2005 by governor Joe Manchin, supports stronger drug laws and has emphasized the importance of recruiting cadets with college degrees. However, the West Virginia State Police does not currently require a college degree for employment as a trooper. West Virginia State Police officers wear a forest-green uniform and campaign hat. They receive their training at the West Virginia State Police Academy located in Institute, a suburb of Charleston and near the agency's headquarters in South Charleston. Upon appointment, cadets undergo an intense training program at the academy.

The West Virginia State Police also runs its own forensic laboratory and provide scientific investigation services to law enforcement agencies across the state. Services offered to criminal justice agencies include biochemistry, drug, firearm investigations, latent prints, questioned documents, toxicology and trace evidence. The crime lab is accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB).

Recruitment and training

The West Virginia Division of Criminal Justice Services is responsible for setting minimum physical ability standards for police officers working in the state. In 2007, following a national trend, it relaxed the physical ability standards for aspiring police officers. Right now, any police applicant must do at least 18 push-ups/minute, 27 sit-ups/minute and be able to run 1.5 mile in a maximum time limit of 15 minutes 20 seconds. The state police, however, chose not to follow those standards unlike many other local and county police agencies in West Virginia. The agency's recruiters still require applicants to perform at least 27 push-ups/minute, 29 sit-ups/minute and those same applicants have to run 1.5 mile in no more than 14 minutes 52 seconds, which were all the initial minimum requirements for all police departments in West Virginia.

Training at the paramilitary academy lasts about 30 weeks (one of the longest among US police agencies) compared to about 16 weeks for officers from other departments (trained at the same academy). When cadets graduate, they are promoted to the rank of "trooper" and are stationned anywhere in the 55 West Virginia counties working from detachments (barracks). They serve an eighteen-month probationary period that starts at the time they enter the academy. After that, they are eligible to receive an associate degree in police sciences through the Marshall Technical and Community College program. Cadets log in about 1420 hours of training by the time they graduate from the academy.

Personnel and salary challenges

Like many police agencies nationwide, the shortage of sworn personnel in some counties has raised debates about the need for more funding to recruit more cadets. As of 2005, the agency employed 974 people, of which 634 were sworn officers, the rest being civilian staff members, according to numbers provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As of 2007, the agency had 654 troopers. Short in man power or not, the state police is heavily relied upon to assist in some rural counties. In May 2007, the State Journal reported in an investigation that counties such as Mineral, Braxton, Wirt and Tyler depend on the state police to provide services and respond to calls from midnight up to 8 a.m. since no Sheriff deputies are available to work those shifts.

Pay was sometimes an issue. Some cities such as Charleston, Ranson, Charles Town, and counties such as Kanawha and Jefferson, have had higher pay for their police forces and some of those agencies might still beat state police salaries. This is perhaps ironic since the agency not only trains its own troopers but also all other law enforcement officers from the state as it is the only police department to operate a law enforcement academy in West Virginia.

But things are starting to change for current, new and future troopers. Early in February 2006, Governor Manchin announced that he would support $6.2 million worth of pay raises over the next three years. Increase in salaries took effect that same year. Effective July 1, 2007, a trooper that graduated from training was expected to be starting at $37,658.04 ($30,606 while at the academy as a cadet). That salary was to slightly increase in 2008 according to the West Virginia Code book and is now competitive with some local and county police forces across West Virginia. The West Virginia State Police Association says on its website that the agency is now ranked 5th statewide in comparison with Sheriff and city police departments when it comes to better pay.

In civilian employment, the state police's employees appear to be making much less than their counterparts in other state agencies. Some laboratory positions require a four-year degree but those positions have salaries under $30,000. Dispatchers start at around $20,000 a year; by comparison, Charleston Metro 911 dispatchers, who serves Kanawha County, start at a higher rate.

Vehicles

Most of the state police vehicles are Ford Crown Victorias with blue and gold colors accompanied by the agency's logo on the side front doors. The agency, once conservative on emergency light features on its vehicle fleet, is phasing in into LED technology on its police cars. Typical emergency lighting on a fully marked cruiser are the overheads (bar lights) and front wig wags. The agency also uses unmarked vehicles (usually assigned to command staff members statewide), Dodge Durangos and has now introduced the 2007 Chevy Impalas and Dodge Chargers in its fleet. The agency is said to be contemplating the use of Chevy Trailblazers later this year.Most state police vehicles have more than 150,000 miles on them before being retired. Some of those vehicles may be older than what they appear because of extended idling time on traffic stops and construction areas.

Troops and detachments

Troop 1 Command - ShinnstonBridgeport DetachmentFairmont DetachmentGrafton DetachmentHundred DetachmentKingwood DetachmentMorgantown DetachmentMoundsville DetachmentNew Cumberland DetachmentPaden City DetachmentShinnston Detachment

Troop 2 Command - Charles TownBerkeley Springs DetachmentCharles Town DetachmentKeyser DetachmentMartinsburg DetachmentMoorefield/Petersburg DetachmentRomney Detachment

Troop 3 Command - ElkinsBuckhannon DetachmentElkins DetachmentFranklin DetachmentGlenville DetachmentMarlinton DetachmentParsons DetachmentPhilippi DetachmentWeston Detachment

Troop 4 Command - South CharlestonClay DetachmentElizabeth DetachmentGrantsville DetachmentHarrisville DetachmentParkersburg DetachmentQuincy DetachmentRipley DetachmentSouth Charleston DetachmentSpencer DetachmentSt Marys Detachment

Troop 5 Command - LoganGilbert DetachmentHamlin DetachmentHuntington DetachmentLogan DetachmentMadison DetachmentMason County Detachment

Troop 6 Command - BeckleyBeckley DetachmentGauley Bridge DetachmentHinton DetachmentJesse DetachmentLewisburg DetachmentOak Hill DetachmentPrinceton DetachmentRainelle DetachmentRichwood DetachmentSummersville Detachment Welch DetachmentWhitesville Detachment Union Detachment

Troop 7 Command - Parkway AuthorityParkways - Beckley Detachment

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the West Virginia State Police, 38 officers have died in the line of duty according to the agency's website and the Officer Down Memorial Page.

ee also

* List of law enforcement agencies in West Virginia
* West Virginia State Police Academy
* State police
* State patrol
* Highway patrol

References

* "Charleston Daily Mail"
* Federal Bureau of Investigation
* State Journal
* State Trooper: America's State Troopers and Highway Patrolmen (Turner Publishing Company)
* USA Cops (USACops.com)

External links

* [http://www.wvstatepolice.com West Virginia State Police website]
* [http://www.wvtroopers.org West Virginia State Police Association website]

Category: Government of West Virginia List of law enforcement agencies in West Virginia