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State Police Public Liaison Tasked With Redemption

Mitchell says from a day-one cadet to a retiree, troopers vow to maintain the core values of respect, integrity, courage, compassion, honesty, and justice.

In his new position as West Virginia State Police Chief of Staff Services, Maj. James Mitchell acts as financial CEO and oversees the cadet academy, public relations, legal relations and a dozen or so other departments. The law enforcement veteran and Beckley native says he wanted to be a trooper ever since he saw the men and women in green when his farming family took him to the state fair as a youngster.

“I joined the state police in January of 2000, that was 23 years ago,” Mitchell said. “I was a city police officer before that in Beckley for about six years, and I was in the military before that. So I’ve got 33 years this year as a law enforcement officer.”

Mitchell said when he learned of the hidden camera in the women’s locker room and all the allegations of wrongdoing, it broke his heart.

“It affects every single person wearing this uniform,” he said. “Not just the state police, it affects other agencies as well, because the public will group law enforcement together, regardless of the color of the uniform. It was heartbreaking not just to me, but to so many of the people in law enforcement that I’ve talked to. It’s happened, we can’t deny that. But we can make sure it doesn’t happen in the future.”

Mitchell said cadet training at the State Police Academy evolves over time and changes in social culture. He said the loss of integrity by a few in the department makes balanced training even more important.

“Number one, we’re honest about it,” Mitchell said. “We expressed to them the importance of Stress Inoculation Training. So, we’re going to talk about the balance of it. We try to make sure at the beginning of training, that they can respond and function under a life or death, high stress environment. Then it changes more to a mentoring style of training the mind when it comes to criminal work. They gain understanding of criminal investigations, crime scene investigation, traffic investigation, and officer survivability techniques. So, there’s a great balance of training, and it fluctuates.”

Mitchell says from a day-one cadet to a retiree, troopers vow to maintain the core values of respect, integrity, courage, compassion, honesty, and justice.

“I think their value system is very important,” he said. “It will hold them true throughout their career, and then they won’t have problems like we’ve experienced. Unfortunately, what some have done is a violation of the core values.”

Mitchell said he could not discuss the active investigations now underway involving alleged casino theft, the hidden camera and destruction of evidence, alleged rape and improper conduct – or pending litigation by a growing number of women law enforcement officers concerned with possible violations while training at the academy. He was asked, “Was there a problem with a few bad apples, as Gov. Jim Justice has said, or was there a counterculture uncovered that put integrity on the backburner?”

“All of the things that you ask, I’m sure, are being looked at in the investigations,” Mitchell said. “There will come a day though, we hope it to be sooner than later, where we’ll have all the facts of this and we’ll be able to openly discuss it.”

He explained that the wholesale leadership and personnel changes made by new Superintendent Jack Chambers come with the qualification of choosing your own top office staff.

“When a superintendent comes into office, he has by code, the ability to choose his own senior staff,” Mitchell said. “Anything above lieutenant – captain, major, lieutenant colonel, are all appointed positions by the superintendent.”

He said the State Police are working closely with Homeland Security and Gov. Jim Justice’s office, but all final decisions are made independently by Chambers.

“They trust him to do this job, that’s why they appointed him,” Mitchell said. “They trust him to make the right decisions, and they’re being very respectful and very supportive of him.”

Mitchell said 99 percent of the agency, civilians and sworn personnel alike, are excellent, hardworking, compassionate people that really want to do a great job and want to arrest those who are doing wrong and protect the innocent.

He said from what he’s heard, the rank and file, boots-on-the-ground troopers, female and male, still have the public trust and respect.

“Most people here support law enforcement, support the military, they’re very patriotic, they love their country. So we’ve been very blessed when it comes to good people,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said for the future of the West Virginia State Police, it’s about societal adapting while committing to those core values.

“We want to continue to change where changes are necessary, continue to stay with our principles that we know are true and move forward to continue to provide a service that’s exemplary,” Mitchell said.

Senate Passes Nine Bills On Police Training, School Athletics And More

The Senate had nine bills on third reading Wednesday, including a bill to improve law enforcement’s awareness of, and ability to interact with, citizens with certain mental health conditions. Also up for consideration were bills amending school athletics eligibility and new requirements for school board membership.

The Senate had nine bills on third reading Wednesday, including a bill to improve law enforcement’s awareness of, and ability to interact with, citizens with certain mental health conditions.

Also up for consideration were bills amending school athletics eligibility and new requirements for school board membership.

Senate Bill 208 would require all law-enforcement and correction officers to undergo training for appropriate interaction with, and response to, individuals with autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s, and related dementias.

Sen. Mike Caputo, D-Marion, is the bill’s lead sponsor. He said the idea for the training came from a concerned mother.

“It’s very important because you can mistake them for maybe you know, someone who wants to do harm,” he said. “It came to us from an idea from a mother whose child is on the spectrum. He was so excited to see a policeman pull his mother over, that he ran out of the car. It came to her, ‘He could have really been hurt,’ because a policeman could have mistaken him for someone that was wanting to do harm.”

Caputo said the training has been in place for two years, but was initially made voluntary. Senate Bill 208 makes the training mandatory for all officers.

“We’re dealing with a problem in West Virginia that we want to make sure we treat folks kindly and appropriately,” he said.

The bill specifies the course of instruction relating to autism spectrum disorders shall be developed and delivered by Marshall University’s West Virginia Autism Training Center. Training will focus on de-escalation of potentially dangerous situations, provide an understanding of the different manner in which individuals process sensory stimuli and language and language difficulties likely to affect interaction.

Instructors are also required to include adults with autism spectrum disorders and/or a parent or primary caretaker of an individual diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in the course.

“I think it’s pretty simple and upfront, it’s not going to cost anything to folks who are being trained anyway,” Caputo said. “It’s just gonna be part of the curriculum, and I think it’s going to be good for West Virginia.”

Senate Bill 208 passed unanimously and now goes to the House of Delegates for their consideration.

Student Athlete Eligibility

Senate Bill 262 would allow students to transfer between schools inside West Virginia and retain athletic eligibility.

Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, is the bill’s lead sponsor. He said the current rules unfairly punish West Virginia students for moving.

“Students have to sit out for a year because they need this settling in period. They have to get adjusted to their new school and figure it all out.” Weld said in reference to WVSSAC rules. “But it’s very important to keep in mind that that settling in period doesn’t apply if you’re coming from out of state. So if you move here from California, get on that team, get out there and play… For hundreds of other students across the street or the state, if you’re transferring from a public school or from a private school, public to private, you got to sit out.”

Sen. Randy Smith, R-Tucker, opposed the bill. He said schools in rural communities like his already have a hard enough time finding enough students to field sports teams without students being lured away to surrounding schools by athletics.

“When I was a parent, when my children were involved in something, you know, things aren’t always fair,” Smith said. “Sometimes you have to learn to get along with the teacher. You have to learn to get along with a coach. And I just feel that we’re opening it up where if you don’t like your coach, then you look elsewhere. And I just think we’re starting a bad precedent doing this.”

Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, voiced her support of the bill, likening it to school choice measures the legislature has introduced in recent years.

Senate Bill 262 passed 27-5, with two senators absent, and now goes to the House of Delegates for their consideration.

New Requirements For Board Of Education Members

Senate Bill 264 also passed the Senate Wednesday. It would prohibit persons who have been convicted of certain crimes against minors from holding positions on either the state board of education or a county board of education.

Senate Education Committee Chair Sen. Amy Grady, R-Mason, said the requirement will be enforced with a certificate of announcement.

“These crimes are numerous and include such crimes as distribution and display to a minor of obscene matter,” Grady said. “The bill also requires that candidates for county Board of Education provide a statement on the certificate of announcement that the candidate swears and affirms that he or she has not been convicted of one of the applicable crimes when the victim was a minor.“

The bill passed with a unanimous vote, and now heads to the House of Delegates for their consideration.

The six other bills: SB 4, SB 121, SB 192, SB 244, SB 245 and SB 246 were also passed. All now go to the House of Delegates for their consideration.

Justice Plans To Call Special Session To Clarify W.Va. Abortion Laws

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it sent abortion law decisions back to the states. In an opinion filed Wednesday, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey concluded an 1882 law making abortion a felony was valid, but Morrisey also said superseding court rulings call for legislative clarification.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it sent abortion law decisions back to the states.

In an opinion filed Wednesday, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey concluded an 1882 law making abortion a felony was valid, but Morrisey also said superceding court rulings call for legislative clarification.

A lawsuit was filed in Kanawha County Wednesday, contending the old law is not valid due to the numerous conflicting laws passed since the 1882 law went into effect. The suit asks for a temporary restraining order leading to a permanent injunction.

In his regular COVID-19 briefing Thursday, Gov. Jim Justice said he will call a special legislative session on abortion “very soon.”

He said he agrees with Morrisey’s opinion, but realized there’s an urgent need to know how to enforce the abortion laws now on the books.

“We need to move for further and more detailed clarification,” Justice said. “The legislature needs to amend this law to get absolute clarification.”

West Virginia House and Senate leaders have said in released statements that their legal teams have been working for months on clarifying the state’s abortion laws.

Training In Identifying Alzheimer’s Coming To W.Va. Law Enforcement

Knowing the difference between someone intoxicated and someone with a brain disorder affecting memory and behavior will now be easier for West Virginia first responders.

David Zielonka, Public policy manager with the Alzheimer;s Association West Virginia Chapter said more than half of the 40,000 West Virginians with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia will wander off at some point.

Gov. Jim Justice signed Senate Bill 570 into law Tuesday. It requires all new law enforcement and correction officers to undergo specialized training in how to identify and communicate with those living with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

West Virginia Sheriff’s Association Executive Director Rodney Miller said there have been some challenging incidents, and the training will be helpful for all involved.

“If they can easily recognize what folks are going through, we can let them handle them better,” MIller said. “Get them back to their caregivers easier and be a resource for caregivers as well.”

Miller says all current law enforcement personnel as well as firefighters, emergency medical technicians and dispatchers will be offered the specialized instruction as well.

The training includes understanding the risks associated with Alzheimer’s, including elder abuse and exploitation. The Alzheimer’s Association West Virginia Chapter will assist the state in designing and teaching the courses.

W.Va. Used Body Armor Going To Ukraine Citizens

Gov. Jim Justice ordered state law enforcement almost a month ago to collect surplus items. Now, West Virginia will ship used body armor to Ukraine citizens caught in the line of fire.

The project was led by the West Virginia National Guard, the Governor’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security. These agencies joined with the West Virginia’s Law Enforcement Coalition, made up of local police and county sheriff departments along with state troopers, to send more than 300 body armor vests to the Ukrainian people.

West Virginia Sheriff’s Association Executive Director Rodney Miller said though the manufacturer’s expiration date has passed, the items remain bullet proof. He said getting this body armor to war torn citizens may save lives.

“Those folks that are fighting for their freedoms that we see on the news every day,” Miller said. “It gives them a certain level of protection that is certainly better than no protection.”

Miller said the body armor will be shipped through the California National Guard – a group with direct ties to Ukranians in the most dire need.

Morgantown Symposium Takes Aim At Fentanyl

Federal and state stakeholders met in Morgantown Thursday to identify solutions to the state’s substance abuse crisis.

The West Virginia Fentanyl Symposium brought together experts in drug enforcement, prevention and treatment from across the country to present to the state’s prosecutors, sheriffs and police chiefs.

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated there were over 100,000 drug overdoses in the United States. Of those, 64 percent involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is the most concerning drug that we’ve seen in decades, if not ever,” said Vic Brown, the director of the Appalachian High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. The organization sponsored Thursday’s event in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia.

“It takes every aspect of the community to address this problem. It’s not just a law enforcement problem,” he said.

Presenters included the Drug Enforcement Administration and the CDC, as well as treatment specialists and researchers with firsthand experience in the substance abuse crisis.