West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Telling West Virginia's Story
Huntington interim police chief Hank Dial has been recommended for the job on a permanent basis.
Huntington Mayor Steve William announced the move Monday. The City Council must vote on the appointment May 28.
The 50-year-old Dial has served as interim police chief since the death of Police Chief Joe Ciccarelli in January.
Dial is a 26-year veteran of the police department.
Huntington’s police chief says homicide investigations by the city’s police department in West Virginia’s second-largest city rose fourfold to 12 in 2016 compared to the year before.
Police Chief Joe Ciccarelli tells The Herald-Dispatch that seven of the investigations involved drugs. The others involved a domestic dispute, a bar fight, a home attack, a street attack and child abuse.
Ciccarelli says “unless you are involved in drug activity, the likelihood of being a victim of violent crimes is relatively low.”
At least seven of the Huntington investigations resulted in murder charges.
Huntington police investigated three homicides in 2015, six in 2014 and five in 2013. The last time the number hit 12 was in 1985.