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WV State Police to close three detachments Jan. 1

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Three West Virginia State Police detachments, including those in Wirt and Calhoun counties are closing, officials said on Tuesday.

The closure will be effective Jan. 1 for the Hundred Detachment in Wetzel County, the Grantsville Detachment in Calhoun County and the Elizabeth Detachment in Wirt County, State Police said.

“The West Virginia State Police realizes that the citizens of West Virginia hold us in high esteem and enjoy having detachments in close proximity; however, it is not economically feasible in today’s climate to maintain a physical detachment in each community across the state,” said Col. C.R. “Jay” Smithers, superintendent of the State Police. ”Regardless of the current adversities facing our state, the West Virginia State Police shall remain resolute in continuing to provide professional law enforcement services, just as we always have since 1919.”

State Police will continue to provide law enforcement in these areas, according to a press release from the agency.

The Hundred Detachment’s area of responsibility will be covered by the Paden City Detachment. The Grantsville Detachment’s area of responsibility will be covered by both the Clay and Glenville Detachments. The Elizabeth Detachment’s area of responsibility will be covered by the Parkersburg Detachment, the agency said.

State Police acknowledged the decisions made may seem sudden to residents of the affected communities, the West Virginia State Police believes it has a moral responsibility to strive continually to be a good steward of taxpayer money, the press release said.

”The decisions were only made after much thought, careful deliberation, and a thorough consideration of alternative courses of action,” the press release said.

Calhoun County Commissioner Robert Weaver said they are concerned about coverage and response times, especially in a rural county like theirs.

For officers to come from Glenville and Clay to respond to calls in Calhoun County could be a 30-40 mile trip to an incident depending on where the call is coming from in Calhoun County.

”We are concerned about public safety,” Weaver said.

The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department only has the sheriff and one deputy. The State Police in Grantsville provided extra support to the county.

”We don’t have the money to hire another deputy,” Weaver said.

The Calhoun County Commission has called a special meeting for 11 a.m. Monday to pass a resolution to oppose the closing of the Grantsville detachment.

State Police, in the press release, said new technology often enables them to more easily accomplish objectives while making better use of manpower and resources in the process. Also, focusing manpower and resource in a coordinated manner often makes more sense than having resources stretched thinly across the state.

”Daily, the West Virginia State Police faces numerous challenges to carry out its statutory mission,” the press release said. ”The superintendent and his staff continually seek to identify areas where the agency can become more effective and efficient as it provides professional law enforcement services throughout the state.”

Wirt County Commissioner Robert Lowe said Tuesday he has heard a lot of talk on social media about detachments closing, but the State Police has not notified the commission of any changes.

”That looks bad on their part,” he said. ”Many people here are concerned about coverage.”

He wants the State Police to directly address the affected communities.

”Anything to put people at ease would be appreciated,” Lowe said. ”People are really worried and concerned.”

Although the number has fluctuated over time, Lowe believes the Elizabeth detachment has had three to five officers at a given time.

In the past, the State Police worked closely with the Wirt County Sheriff’s Department in its coverage of the area.

Lowe said he still wants an official statement from the State Police to the commission and the people of Wirt County regarding the closure of the detachment in Elizabeth.

”We want to hear directly from them,” he said. ”Our people pay taxes and they didn’t do anything wrong. I think our people deserve that. When the State Police make that official statement, I will have more to say.”

See more from the Parkersburg News and Sentinel. 

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