It’s been a year since allegations of illicit recordings of cadets and other women at the West Virginia State Police barracks launched federal and state investigations into the law enforcement department.
In the aftermath, Col. J.C. Chambers was named superintendent of the state police. He spoke with reporter Chris Schulz to provide some updates on the investigations, as well as to discuss reforms he has implemented during his tenure.
It’s been a year since allegations of illicit recordings of cadets and other women at the West Virginia State Police barracks launched federal and state investigations into the law enforcement department.
In the aftermath, Col. J.C. Chambers was named superintendent of the state police. He spoke with reporter Chris Schulz to provide some updates on the investigations, as well as to discuss reforms he has implemented during his tenure.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Schulz: Can you tell me a little bit about your tenure so far? We’re approaching the one year mark?
Chambers: It’s been a long year, I would have to tell you that. One year since I’ve been back to the state police. Been a very trying year, but it’s also been a very successful year. I feel we have great people in this organization, whether that be troopers you see running up down the road every day answering calls or our civilian staff. We have a great mixture of civilians and sworn members in the West Virginia State Police, which is one of the reasons and my love for the state police to come back, as asked by the governor’s office, as superintendent.
Schulz: We’ve been talking about this timeline of a year. And I want to be clear, we’re talking about the allegations of recordings in the women’s barracks, potentially of underage minors, as well as some allegations and accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse. As I understand, this has been under investigation now for almost an entire year. Can you tell me a little bit about why these investigations are ongoing and have not been concluded yet?
Chambers: There were numerous internal investigations opened up as quickly as we could once we figured out what direction we needed to go in. There were federal investigations opened up working with the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI. One of those is still pending. I can’t comment on that one. But the other ones, I have a Department of Justice letter that I’ll read to you stating that they no longer consider the West Virginia State Police or any of its members to be a target. And like I say several members, names that were out or come up in investigations are no longer with the State Police. We’re just we’re moving forward the best we can. We’ve changed everything from training hours at Academy to accountability of hours. We put in a $450,000 security system camera system in the state police academy. Just for checks and balances. We’re working hand in hand with a lot of other state agencies now. Our purchasing and our purchasing accountability agreements have changed drastically. We work with everybody trying to improve to make our agency better and make sure we don’t have anything like this happen in the future.
I’ve got a letter here, dated from Will Thompson. He’s the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District. And it basically reads like this:
‘This letter is to inform you that consistent with Justice Manual 911-155, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District no longer considers former Trooper Mike Miller to be a target of an ongoing civil rights investigation in the Southern District of West Virginia. Additionally, the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District no longer considers the West Virginia State Police or any of its members to be targets in an ongoing investigation in the Southern District of West Virginia, involving a camera being placed in the West Virginia State Police locker room, a claim of religious persecution at the West Virginia State Police Academy and the misuse of the West Virginia State Police fleet.’
Chambers: Which is our cars and our vehicles and things like that. It says:
‘Please be advised this, this letter does not preclude the United States Attorney’s Office from re-instituting an investigation into the allegations detailed above and identifying any member as a target should circumstances change. The US Attorney’s Office Southern District appreciates the cooperation from you…
Chambers: Which was me
…the superintendent and the West Virginia State Police to have provided this office and the federal investigators in the investigations of potential wrongdoing by its members. The West Virginia State Police has been and continues to be a vital partner to the US Attorney’s Office and look forward to continuing to work with you and other members of the State Police.’
Chambers: Signed by the US Attorney.
Schulz: What possible action needs to be taken to ensure that these investigations are concluded in a timely manner. It sounds like you’re waiting for external factors. If I understand you.
Chambers: You’re right on point here, Chris. And also that we’re looking into this stuff as well. We’ll look into stuff even after they conclude what their findings are whether they decide to move forward with something or not. And if it’s something administrative, then we’ll handle it from that point on.
I know a year is not a long time. I mean, it seems like five years to be honest with you. But we have completed a lot of this stuff within a year. And there’s stuff that we can control and get done and I feel that we’ve done it as aggressively and as fast as we can. I mean my senior staff and the members in this agency are ready for this stuff to be done, completed so they can go about their jobs and feel right about the West Virginia State Police. I think it’s changing, I think it is. Our people are working. They’re out. They know they have the support from headquarters and doing this job day to day when you’re out in the field, you want to feel you are supported when you’re out here dealing with what we have to deal with daily.
Schulz: I would like to hear more about the changes that you’ve implemented.
Chambers: Culture is what members understand as an acceptable behavior. I think for me coming back, once you’re held accountable, I want them to do their job, but also want them to feel secure in knowing they’re going to be backed out here when they’re trying to do the right thing, Chris. They have to have that, they have to have that feeling. I think it is coming back. Culture’s what a community perceives as acceptable. We in the state police feel we have support in West Virginia, they don’t want to see things like this happening.
As far as changing culture, putting in a camera system, making the changes we have at the academy. We’ve been around 104 years, Chris, and to sit here and tell you, we haven’t had to make changes through that104 years, we’d be lying to you. But to change your culture overnight, it’s been around 104 years. You want to try to change things as positively as you can in a progressive, positive way. And I think that’s what we’re trying to do all the way down to our people reporting to the academy.
I’ve been asked in the past, well, how are females going to do when they come to the academy now as a cadet or a basic officer? Well, a couple things we’ve done. We put a full time female officer supervisor at the academy, they’re engaged with her. She’s doing a great job over there. The deputy superintendent meets with any female coming on that property up there when they report, then midstream, they’re talked to and at the end of their training they’re asked questions to make sure that they felt comfortable there. We have expectations for them. But they also have an outlet if they need to talk to someone or need to speak with someone. We’ve implemented things like that, that, now it’s just a normal procedure or protocol that we do.
One West Virginia Morning we get an update on the two West Virginia State Troopers injured in a shooting last month and learn about the origins of the folklife books known as Foxfire.
On this West Virginia Morning, we get an update on the two West Virginia State Troopers injured in a shooting last month and learn about the origins of the folklife books known as Foxfire.
We also hear acoustic music icon Peter Rowan, who has been coming to Mountain Stage since 1985 performing “From My Mountain (Calling You).”
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.
Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.
West Virginia Morning is produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Caroline MacGregor, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Liz McCormick, and Randy Yohe.
Eric Douglas is our news director. Caroline MacGregor is our assistant news director.
Teresa Wills is our host.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
In the governor’s Wednesday briefing, Chambers addressed questions about ongoing state police investigations, including the extent of hidden camera recordings in the police academy women’s locker room.
West Virginia State Police (WVSP) Col. Jack Chambers is no longer the “interim” superintendent of the agency. He is now the full-time superintendent, according to Gov. Jim Justice.
Chambers came over from the Capitol Police four months ago after former WVSP Superintendent Jan Cahill resigned amid a flurry of charges of trooper wrongdoing.
In the governor’s Wednesday briefing, Chambers addressed questions about ongoing state police investigations, including the extent of hidden camera recordings in the police academy women’s locker room. He said he has sent letters of apology to 71 women, all law enforcement officers filing lawsuits, who have used that women’s locker room in academy training.
“We did send an apology letter out to any female that may have been victimized by a hidden camera in the locker room,” Chambers said. “Again, unacceptable. I said that on day one.”
Among recent changes, Chambers said state police are installing a new 60 camera security system, have made an academy curriculum adjustment to provide a better educational environment, and leadership will have open communications and regular meetings with all female academy trainees.
“We’ve upgraded our female barracks with in-house female staff members,” he said. “It’s actually a full-time sergeant and a female who went to Academy. We’ve had females over the years but that is her main job now.”
Chambers also said, after a number of retirements, transfers and reassignments within his four-month tenure, he’s also fired four troopers.
“We’ve separated employment with four troopers that were failing to meet the standard and expectations of the state police,” Chambers said.
Chambers said he’s changing daily activity reports on hours worked and approved. He said a first line supervisor has to approve any hours worked.
“No matter what your rank is, it goes to the next level supervisor for approval,” he said.
He said the FBI will teach the academy civil rights class, emphasizing the seriousness of acting under “the color of law.”
Regarding specifics in the multiple WVSP investigations that have been ongoing for months, Chambers said he is still limited on what he can reveal at this time.
He said the state charges for domestic battery on an accused trooper is in the hands of the Ritchie County Prosecutor. He noted that alleged trooper rapes are currently under investigation by federal investigators, along with civil litigation.
He also said the hidden camera at the police academy is currently subject to federal and internal investigations and both of those are in action now.
“Our academy is not completely broke,” Chambers said. “Some would think that, but it is not. Staff changes have been made. I can say the camera systems are in the process of being upgraded to the top of the line so we will know who’s there and who’s not.”
Chambers said he is in the process of working with the governor’s office to create a WVSP/Marshall University Health Line.
“A line to call in if someone at the academy is having a problem or an issue,” Chambers said. “We want them to have someone to speak to if they feel the need.”
The latest legal complaint concerning the West Virginia State Police hidden camera investigation outlines an alleged culture of misconduct towards women, with accusations of sexual assault and concerns over reforms.
Thelatest legal complaint concerning the West Virginia State Police (WVSP) hidden camera investigation outlines an alleged culture of misconduct towards women, with accusations of sexual assault and concerns over reforms.
The complaint filed in Kanawha County Circuit Court alleged that there were multiple victims and named multiple defendants involved in a hidden camera placed in the State Police Academy women’s locker room beginning in 2015.
Bryan Edwards, a Morgantown attorney and member of the legal team, is representing 70 West Virginia female law enforcement officers who trained at the academy and used the women’s locker room. He said evidence shows that beyond an invasion of privacy, male academy individuals exploited women.
“They preyed on the cadets,” Edwards said. “Making allegations that if they wished to get through the academy, then they would be subjected to their unwanted advances.”
The internal State Police investigation into the hidden camera incident has been underway for more than three months. Edwards said some defendants named in the complaint continue to work there.
In a media briefing on Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice voiced frustration with no investigation findings yet, and acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and had a message for the 70 West Virginia plaintiffs.
“A million apologies,” Justice said. “There’s no excuse. It’s ridiculous stuff that has happened. For 70 women, maybe there’s a goodly percentage that this did not happen to, but can you just imagine not knowing?”
Edwards believes the internal investigation will not change an alleged culture of sexism and coverups.
“It doesn’t appear that some of the bad actors that we know have had any type of consequences at all,” he said. “So my faith in the internal investigation is very limited.”
Justice said he has full faith that the State Police hidden camera probe will resolve the issue, and said reforms have already been instituted. But he also said he has limited patience.
“I really do believe that those changes are either happening, or have already been made,” Justice said. “We have investigations going on and I think we got to let that play out. But I’m not comfortable with all the bad stuff that’s happened. I want to see action. I have the most confidence in the State Police and love them with all my soul. But we don’t need to keep messing around with this. We need to move and move as swiftly as we possibly can.”
Edwards said his clients have seen no evidence of reforms at this point.
“If someone is feeling that they are being harassed or mistreated, that there was something outside, they can go and express those concerns,” Edwards said. “And it’s not just going to be the status quo, which I think has been the issue down there for years.”
Wheeling attorney Teresa Toriseva was one of the first to file a “notice to sue” the state government entity on behalf of multiple female law enforcement officers. All law enforcement officers, such as local police and sheriff’s deputies, train at the WVSP Academy and use the locker room and shower facilities.
State Police have offered no timetable for investigation results, saying due diligence is their utmost concern.
West Virginia Public Broadcasting asked the State Police for an update on both the investigation and reforms instituted but did not receive a response before this story was published.
More than a thousand people, hailing from close to home and around the nation, attended the Wednesday memorial service for slain West Virginia State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard.
More than a thousand people, hailing from close to home and around the nation, attended the Wednesday memorial service for slain West Virginia State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard. The trooper was shot and killed in the line of duty last Friday.
Troopers from both panhandles and from the Iowa, New Jersey and Nebraska State Police, joined masses of first responders and civilians who packed the funeral service in the Mingo Central High School gymnasium.
Curtis Meade, from Matewan, said Cory Maynard helped him once when he ran out of gas. He said the trooper ended up helping save him from living a troubled life.
“We became buddies,” Meade said. “The day I found out that it was him that was shot. It ate me up. I ain’t gonna lie, I was wanting to go after that dude. But, like God and Cory said, forgive and forget. I decided the best thing I could do is come up here and show my respects to a buddy of mine.”
Denise Browning brought her daughter Olivia to the memorial, paying a debt of gratitude to a first responder who became a perpetual part of their lives. Browning said Maynard was there in a moment of personal tragedy.
“Olivia was raped in 2019 and Cory Maynard stood by her side,” Browning said. “He was a fantastic guy in every single way. If I needed him at one o’clock in the morning, I could call his cell phone, he would talk and come if necessary.”
Iowa State Patrol and New Jersey State Police Troopers in line for visitation. Credit: Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Shawn Marcum said he was honored to call Maynard a personal friend. Marcum was one of dozens who agreed that the 37-year-old husband and father, library volunteer and community activist was the kind of person you wanted your son or daughter to grow up to be like.
“He would help anyone in need,” Marcum said. “I’ve witnessed multiple times of him just stopping on the street, both in and out of uniform, to help people. It didn’t matter whether it was to buy something to drink, if they needed food just to talk. Cory never met a stranger.”
State Police Major Jim Mitchell said the sermon he delivered at the memorial service honored a person who truly lived a life of service to others. Mitchell said Marcum was the finest example of a trooper — and a person. He called him a generous man who was raised well and cherished his loving family — his wife Rachel, daughter Zoe and son Finn.
“We want to give his family the honor that they deserve,” Mitchell said. “They’ve stood by Cory for the 15 years that he served us. And it’s not easy for a family. But they really have, and they’ve done well. So we want to honor him. We want to honor his family. We want to honor the state police family.”
Mitchell said he told Maynard’s fellow troopers to take the pain that might be inside them and manifest it for the good.
“Sometimes, if we’re careful or not careful, things like this can happen,” he said. “It can upset us, it makes us angry and makes us sad. And if you just respond to the mere emotion of it, it’s not the best thing. But if you can sit back and look at it and remember why we’re here, why we do this — that’s how we continue.”
It seemed all who attended the funeral were close or extended family who came to honor the life and legacy of a beloved West Virginia State Police Trooper.
Those who knew Cory Maynard say the Williamson and Mingo County communities will suffer without his presence.
Updated on Monday, June 5, 2023 at 7:06 p.m.
Over the weekend, State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard was shot and killed in the line of duty near Matewan in Mingo County. Those who knew him say the Williamson and Mingo County communities will suffer without his presence.
Williamson Public Health Nurse Jimmy Copley said Cory Maynard was more like a brother than a friend. He said the 37-year-old husband and father would show as much care to a homeless person or recovering drug addict as to his own wife and children – and his devotion to helping all children live better lives was unmatched.
“He had actually called me a few days before all this happened,” Copley said. “He wanted to try to get with the Mingo County Health Department and come up with a summer program for kids to be out helping clean up the community.”
Childhood friend Rachel Siggers can name countless examples of Maynard’s compassion for others. The Williamson school mental health worker told the story of an unruly child – impossible for anyone to deal with. She called Maynard and asked him to come and be “bad cop” to her “good cop.” She said he came without hesitation, but didn’t follow the script.
“He was in the room with the kid for five minutes. And he’s buddied up with him and being soft with him,” Siggers said. “And, I’m looking at him like, that’s not what I asked you to do. He said, ‘Rachel, I couldn’t do it, he just needed somebody to love him.’”
Siggers said Maynard called daily after that to check on the child’s progress, coming back to talk with the child in person when necessary.
Williamson nurse April Hensley said Maynard was helping her son chart a career course – a son who aspired to be what Maynard took the greatest pride in – serving as a West Virginia State Trooper.
“Cory guided him and told him things that he needed to do and just really tried to help him,” Hensley said. “He was never off the clock. Anytime that anyone needed him, he was there. He’s not replaceable, and our community will suffer because of this.”
Jimmy Copley said Maynard had the makings of a State Police leader.
“He was absolutely proud of his time in the state police,” Copley said. “He was a long-term serving veteran and had climbed the ranks to sergeant and probably would have kept climbing. He was that good and that dedicated to his profession.”
His friends agreed – Maynard was selfless and genuine.
“He wanted the world to be a better place,” Copley said. “He saw the good and the potential good in everything. It didn’t matter. He saw your good and that’s what he wanted. He wanted to bring the good out.”
“His entrance into a room changed the atmosphere in the room,” Siggers said. “He could walk in the room, and just look at you and smile and everything would be alright. His loss is a void that I don’t know if we’ll ever get over.”
From the obituary issued by Evans Funeral Home: Funeral services will be conducted at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, 2023, at the Mingo Central High School at Delbarton, WV, with Major Jim Mitchell officiating.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, June 7, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Mingo Central High School at Delbarton, WV.
Pallbearers will be Damien Hart-Shepherd University PD, Tyler Hannon-WVSP, Jim Hannon-Retired OH Highway Patrol, Jonathan Ziegler-WVSP, Thomas Boggs-WVSP, and Kyle Johnson-WVSP.
The procession route to honor the life of Sgt. Cory S. Maynard will proceed from Mingo Central High School onto King Coal Highway, continuing onto Route 65, continuing onto Route 52, continuing onto 119 North to Chapmanville, WV.
As per his final wishes, Cory was a tissue donor, and his giving heart and spirit will live on in the lives of those who are the recipients of his gift of life. Also, in honoring his wishes, his remains will be cremated following the services
