COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
Senate Bill No. 386
(By Senators McCabe, Jenkins, Unger, Green, Williams, Boley,
Yost, Snyder, Kessler and Prezioso)
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[Originating in the Committee on the Judiciary;
reported February 5, 2010.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §15-2-3 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to the structure of the West
Virginia State Police; and increasing the number of troopers.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §15-2-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. WEST VIRGINIA STATE POLICE.
§15-2-3. State Police structure; number of troopers; how
established.
(a) The superintendent shall create, appoint and equip the
State Police which shall consist of the number of troops, districts
and detachments required for the proper administration of the State
Police. Each troop, district or detachment shall be composed of
the number of officers and members the superintendent determines are necessary to meet operational needs and are required for the
efficient operation of the State Police.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of any other section of
this code and pursuant to amendments made to this section during
the 2010 regular session of the Legislature, the superintendent
shall implement a program to increase the number of state troopers
in the state to attain and maintain a minimum number of eight
hundred state troopers by July 1, 2014.
(c) The superintendent shall establish the general
organizational structure of the State Police by interpretive rule
in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-
nine-a of this code. The superintendent shall provide adequate
facilities for the training of all members of the State Police and
shall prescribe basic training requirements for newly enlisted
members. He or she shall also provide advanced or in-service
training from time to time for all members of the State Police.
The superintendent shall hold training classes for other peace
officers in the state without cost to those officers, except actual
expenses for food, lodging and school supplies.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for an increase
and establish a minimum number of troopers to provide basic law
enforcement services.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.