W est Virginia State Police Study Final Report Prepared for Joint Committee on Government and Finance W est Virginia Legislature Prepared by Institute for Law and Justice Alexandria, Virginia November 2003 West Virginia State Police Study Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction............................................................................................................................... 1 Scope of Study/Methodology.................................................................................................... 1 Key Findings ............................................................................................................................. 2 West Virginia Crime Trends ..................................................................................................... 5 Allocating Resources by Detachment ....................................................................................... 6 Key Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 8 Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................... 13 1. Introduction............................................................................................................................... 15 2. Background ............................................................................................................................... 17 Demographic Trends in West Virginia ................................................................................... 17 3. Study Scope and Approach ....................................................................................................... 21 4. State Police Staffing and Organization ..................................................................................... 23 State Police Vision .................................................................................................................. 23 Budget ..................................................................................................................................... 23 Current Staffing....................................................................................................................... 24 Organization Structure ............................................................................................................ 31 5. Executive Office........................................................................................................................ 35 Planning and Research ............................................................................................................ 35 6. Staff Services ............................................................................................................................ 37 Accounting .............................................................................................................................. 37 Personnel................................................................................................................................. 37 Communications ..................................................................................................................... 38 Procurement ............................................................................................................................ 42 Traffic Records........................................................................................................................ 43 Uniform Crime Reports Section.............................................................................................. 45 Criminal Records .................................................................................................................... 46 Forensic Crime Lab................................................................................................................. 47 7. Executive Services .................................................................................................................... 51 Professional Standards Section ............................................................................................... 51 Legal Unit................................................................................................................................ 51 Media Relations ...................................................................................................................... 51 Development Coordinator/Recruiting..................................................................................... 52 Terrorism Response ................................................................................................................ 52 8. Field Operations........................................................................................................................ 53 Troop 1.................................................................................................................................... 53 Troop 2.................................................................................................................................... 55 Troop 3.................................................................................................................................... 56 West Virginia State Police Study Troop 4 .................................................................................................................................... 57 Troop 5 .................................................................................................................................... 59 Troop 6 .................................................................................................................................... 61 Detachment.............................................................................................................................. 62 Sworn Staffing......................................................................................................................... 62 Crime Scene Response Teams ................................................................................................ 62 Patrol Workload ...................................................................................................................... 63 Parkways Enforcement............................................................................................................ 68 Bureau of Criminal Investigation ............................................................................................ 69 Special Operations................................................................................................................... 73 Executive Protection................................................................................................................ 74 9. Regional Distribution of Resources .......................................................................................... 77 10. Distribution of Staff to Management Positions....................................................................... 81 11. Efficiency of Staff Allocation Between Sworn and Civilian Positions................................... 83 12. Efficiency of Staff Allocation Between Patrol and Non-Patrol Functions ............................. 85 13. Review of Training.................................................................................................................. 87 Structure, Facilities, and Personnel ......................................................................................... 87 Cadet Basic Training:.............................................................................................................. 87 Basic Police Training .............................................................................................................. 89 In-Service Training.................................................................................................................. 90 Key Training Issues................................................................................................................. 91 14. Advantages and Disadvantages of Incorporating Other Armed State Law Enforcement Officers Under the State Police............................................................................................... 99 Division of Natural Resources ................................................................................................ 99 Public Service Commission, Motor Carrier Section ............................................................. 100 Division of Protective Services ............................................................................................. 100 Fire Marshal .......................................................................................................................... 100 Alcohol Beverage Control Administration (ABCA), Enforcement Division ....................... 101 Marshall University, Chief of Security ................................................................................. 101 Shepherd College, Chief of Police ........................................................................................ 102 West Virginia University, Chief of Police ............................................................................ 102 15. Final Recommendations.......................................................................................................