West Virginia State Police

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West Virginia State Police patch

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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 doesn't 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 small town near the capital Charleston and closer still to 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).

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 graduates from training is expected to be starting at $37,658.04 ($30,606 while at the academy as a cadet). That salary, expected to increase in 2008 according to the West Virginia Code book, 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. When compared to other states, West Virginia's civilian employee's are still ranked very low in pay, some lab positions require a 4 year degree and still pay under $25,000 on the annual salary, dispatchers start around $20,000 a year, charleston metro 911 dispatchers start nearly $10,000 higher annually.

[edit] The death of a trooper brings questions

On July 18, 2007, Corporal Marlo Gonzalez was found dead in his own cruiser while on duty with his uniform on him. The vehicle was parked at his father-in-law's home in Hurricane, according to first reports from the Charleston Daily Mail and the Charleston Gazette. It was quickly determined the officer had killed himself with his service weapon. Superintendent Lemmon had said during a news conference that there were no signs Cpl Gonzalez was having personal issues since he appeared to be in good spirit just the previous day. But several days after his death, television news station WSAZ in Cabell County started receiving anonymous comments on its website about the state police. By August 2, 2007, the news station reported that more than 700 comments were posted, some of them from current, former troopers or their wives or friends, about the difficulty of the job. Some comments were blaming the agency's administration for not doing enough to help Cpl Gonzalez, suggesting that his death could have been prevented had he received good counseling or help from his employer. That led to reporters from the station to investigate and conduct two separate interviews with two former troopers, Steven Smith and Jason Gilley, who both said they were forced out of the job. Superintendent Lemmon never commented on the anonymous postings on the news station website, citing at that time being busy with talking to Gonzalez's family. However, Gov. Manchin encouraged people to come forward, telling WSAZ reporters, "No one should ever be anonymous. If you have a constructive complaint, a way to make things better, please come forward."

On August 24, 2007, a report describing the conditions of the trooper's death was released to the media by the state police. The report stated that Cpl Gonzales was in "emotional turmoil," that he stopped taking his depression medication and that he had suicidal thoughts several months before his death. The report also described a trooper who was unhappy with his career with the West Virginia State Police. Early in August 2007, a petition circulated online demanding a change in leadership.

Consequently, in February 2008, a report was released by the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, the parent agency of the state police, laying out a suicide prevention plan for the agency. But on the same month, the state police had another suicide in its rank. Cpl V.J. Gall shot himself at his home in Morgan County after being placed on administrative leave. Reasons for his suspension were not released to the media and his death was less controversial than Gonzales'.

[edit] 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, for the 2008 season its supposed to introduce chevy trailblazers as well. Most state Police vehicles have more than 150,000 miles on them before being retired, The mileage shown on the odometer does not account for time these vehicles sit at traffic stops and construction area's idling for hours at a time.

[edit] Troops and detachments

Troop 1 Command - Shinnston Bridgeport Detachment Fairmont Detachment Grafton Detachment Hundred Detachment Kingwood Detachment Morgantown Detachment Moundsville Detachment New Cumberland Detachment Paden City Detachment Shinnston Detachment

Troop 2 Command - Charles Town Berkeley Springs Detachment Charles Town Detachment Keyser Detachment Martinsburg Detachment Moorefield Detachment Romney Detachment

Troop 3 Command - Elkins Buckhannon Detachment Elkins Detachment Franklin Detachment Glenville Detachment Marlinton Detachment Parsons Detachment Philippi Detachment Weston Detachment

Troop 4 Command - South Charleston Clay Detachment Elizabeth Detachment Grantsville Detachment Harrisville Detachment Parkersburg Detachment Quincy Detachment Ripley Detachment South Charleston Detachment Spencer Detachment St Marys Detachment

Troop 5 Command - Logan Gilbert Detachment Hamlin Detachment Huntington Detachment Logan Detachment Madison Detachment Mason County Detachment

Troop 6 Command - Beckley Beckley Detachment Gauley Bridge Detachment Hinton Detachment Jesse Detachment Lewisburg Detachment Oak Hill Detachment Princeton Detachment Rainelle Detachment Richwood Detachment Summersville Detachment Welch Detachment Whitesville Detachment Union Detachment

Troop 7 Command - Parkway Authority Parkways - Beckley Detachment

[edit] 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.

[edit] See also

West Virginia Portal

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

[edit] 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)

[edit] External links

• West Virginia State Police website
• West Virginia State Police Association website