West Virginia State Police

West Virginia State Police
Abbreviation WVSP

Patch of the West Virginia State Police
Agency overview
Formed June 29, 1919 (1919-06-29)
Preceding agency West Virginia Department of Public Safety
Employees 1018 (as of 2010) [1]
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction* State of West Virginia, USA
Size 24,230 square miles (62,800 km2)
Population 1,812,035 (2007 est.)[2]
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters South Charleston, West Virginia
State Troopers 659 (as of 2010)
Civilians 359 (as of 2010)
Agency executive C.R. "Jay" Smithers, Colonel
Parent agency West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety
Troops 7
Facilities
Detachments 63
Website
http://www.wvstatepolice.com
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

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.[3]

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 until 1995 when the name was changed to "West Virginia State Police" during the legislative session.

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 is Colonel C.R. "Jay" Smithers who replaced Colonel Timothy Pack.

West Virginia State Police troopers 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).[4]

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 27 push-ups/minute, 29 sit-ups/minute and be able to run 1.5 miles (2.4 km) in a maximum time limit of 14 minutes 53 seconds.[5] The State Police, however, chose not to follow those standards unlike most local 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 miles (2.4 km) in no more than 14 minutes 52 seconds, which were all the initial minimum requirements for all police departments in West Virginia.[6]

The West Virginia State Police Academy in Institute

Training at the paramilitary academy lasts about 25 weeks 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." They can be 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 completing successfully that probationary period, they are eligible to receive an associate degree in police sciences through the Marshall Technical and Community College program.

Personnel

The State Police has struggled with staffing issues for many years and the problem seems to persist mainly due to lack of funding to dramatically increase the number of road troopers. As of 2013, the agency employed well above 600 sworn officers, making it de facto the largest law enforcement agency in the state.[7] The State Police is heavily relied upon to assist in many of the 55 West Virginia counties. In September 2013, news organizations started reporting a new initiative from the agency to increase manpower. The Accelerated Cadet Program targets local West Virginia police officers who want to join the State Police. Once hired, such officers would train for only 11 weeks instead of the 25 weeks normal cadets go through.

The State Police is and has been the only agency to operate a law enforcement academy in West Virginia. It trains its own troopers but also all other law enforcement officers from the state: sheriff deputies, city and college police officers, and motor carrier enforcement officers who, unlike in some states, are not part of the State Police but have their own separate agency.

Rank Structure

Title Insignia
Superintendent - Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
Major
Captain
First Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
First Sergeant
Sergeant
Corporal
Trooper First Class
Senior Trooper
Trooper

Vehicles

An unmarked Chevy Impala parked at the West Virginia State Police Academy

State Police vehicles are composed of a variety of makes with blue and gold colors accompanied by the agency's logo on the side front doors.[8] For many years, the agency has used Ford Crown Victorias for the road. In recent years however, State Police has phased in Chevy Impalas and the new Ford Police Interceptor and Police Interceptor Utility into its fleet. The agency also uses unmarked vehicles (usually assigned to command staff members statewide). Vehicles are mainly equipped with blue, LED, lights.

Organization

Troops and detachments

Troop 0 Command - South Charleston

Troop 1 Command - Shinnston

Troop 2 Command - Charles Town

Troop 3 Command - Elkins

Troop 4 Command - South Charleston

Troop 5 Command - Logan

Troop 6 Command - Beckley

Troop 7 Parkways (WV Turnpike) Command - Beckley

Troop 8 Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI)

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the West Virginia State Police, 40 officers have died in the line of duty.[9]

Officer Date of Death Details
Ernest Ripley
Thursday, November 18, 1920
 Gunfire
Charles M. Kackley
Wednesday, May 25, 1921
 Gunfire
William L. McMillion
Tuesday, June 28, 1921
 Gunfire
George A. Duling
Sunday, August 28, 1921
 Gunfire (Accidental)
Howard A. Deem
Saturday, June 3, 1922
 Automobile accident
James Shrewsbury
Thursday, July 12, 1923
 Gunfire
Ulric C. Crawford
Friday, June 20, 1924
 Gunfire
Theodore R. Meadows
Saturday, April 17, 1926
 Motorcycle accident
James L. Lowe
Monday, June 28, 1926
 Gunfire
Blake A. Michael
Sunday, May 1, 1927
 Motorcycle accident
Arza A. Allen
Thursday, November 1, 1928
 Motorcycle accident
William Hall
Sunday, October 19, 1930
 Motorcycle accident
Farley K. Litton
Friday, November 8, 1935
 Motorcycle accident
Allen Henry Bennett Jeffreys
Sunday, July 16, 1939
 Vehicular assault
Franklin D. Patrick
Sunday, August 27, 1939
 Automobile accident
Newton Tressel Sites
Monday, August 31, 1942
 Aircraft accident
Burr White Harrison
Monday, December 3, 1945
 Automobile accident
Joseph Pierce Horne
Monday, September 9, 1946
 Gunfire
Arthur M. Hurst
Friday, June 17, 1949
 Drowned
Robert F. Rulong
Monday, February 10, 1958
 Vehicular assault
Harry E. Robinson
Tuesday, November 27, 1962
 Automobile accident
William Joseph Shrewsbury
Saturday, September 28, 1963
 Gunfire
Robert Ball Noechel
Monday, November 1, 1965
 Gunfire
Hugh Donald Swartz
Monday, October 5, 1970
 Gunfire
Thomas Dean Hercules
Wednesday, January 12, 1977
 Gunfire
Charles Henry Johnson
Wednesday, January 12, 1977
 Gunfire
Bruce Thompson Brown
Friday, October 14, 1977
 Gunfire
Dewey C. Shrewsbury
Wednesday, October 25, 1978
 Gunfire (Accidental)
Philip S. Kesner
Wednesday, November 7, 1979
 Gunfire
Carlen Bill Stone
Thursday, December 16, 1982
 Aircraft accident
Harry G. Lucas Jr.
Wednesday, September 12, 1984
 Aircraft accident
Jonathan David Harris
Thursday, July 11, 1985
 Automobile accident
William Howard Phillips
Thursday, July 30, 1987
 Automobile accident
First Class James Thomas Brammer
Saturday, April 15, 1989
 Gunfire
Larry Gene Hacker
Friday, April 9, 1993
 Gunfire
Charles Matthew Turner
Thursday, April 4, 1996
 Aircraft accident
Douglas Wayne Bland
Thursday, January 19, 1999
 Automobile accident
Brian W. Linn
Friday, November 2, 2007
 Automobile accident
Marshall Lee Bailey
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
 Gunfire
Eric M. Workman
Friday, August 31, 2012
 Gunfire

See also

References

  1. ↑ West Virginia State Police 2010 Annual Report
  2. ↑ http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html 2007 Population Estimates
  3. ↑ History of the West Virginia State Police http://www.wvstatepolice.com/history/history.shtml/
  4. ↑ West Virginia State Police Crime Laboratory http://www.wvstatepolice.com/crime/crime.shtml/
  5. ↑ West Virginia Division of Criminal Justice Services: physical ability standards http://www.wvdcjs.com/lawenforcement/training/physicalability.html/
  6. ↑ West Virginia State Police physical ability standards http://www.wvstatepolice.com/employ/phyfit.pdf/
  7. ↑ WOWK TV. http://www.wowktv.com/story/23447706/wv-state-police-still-in-need-of-minority-officers/
  8. ↑ National Police Car Archives http://www.policecararchives.org/
  9. ↑

Additional references

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