West Virginia Code § 15-2-12

Mission of the State Police; powers of superintendent, officers and
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members; patrol of turnpike.
(a) The West Virginia State Police shall have the mission of statewide enforcement of
criminal and traffic laws with emphasis on providing basic enforcement and citizen
protection from criminal depredation throughout the state and maintaining the safety of the
state's public streets, roads and highways. e
(b) The superintendent and each of the officers and members of the division are hereby
empowered:
(1) To make arrests anywhere within the state of any persons charged with the violation of
any law of this state, or of the United States, and when a witness to the perpetration of any
offense or crime, or to the violation of any law of this state, or of the United States, to make
arrests without warrant; to arrest and detain any persons suspected of the commission of
any felony or misdemeanor whenever a complaint is made and a warrant is issued thereon
for the arrest, and the person arrested shall be immlediately brought before the proper
tribunal for examination and trial in the countsy where the offense for which the arrest has
been made was committed;
(2) To serve criminal process issuedg by any court or magistrate anywhere within this state:
Provided, That they may not serve civil process; and
(3) To cooperate with local authorities in detecting crime and in apprehending any person or
persons engaged in or suspected of the commission of any crime, misdemeanor or offense
against the law of this state, or of the United States, or of any ordinance of any municipality
in this state; and to take affidavits in connection with any application to the Division of
Highways, Division of Motor Vehicles and of West Virginia State Police for any license,
permit or certificate that may be lawfully issued by these divisions of state government.
(c) Members of the West Virginia State Police are hereby designated as forest patrolmen and
natural resources police officers throughout the state to do and perform any duties and
exercise any powers of forest patrolmen and natural resources police officers, and may
apprehend and bring before any court or magistrate having jurisdiction of these matters,
anyone violating any of the provisions of chapters twenty, sixty and sixty-one of this code.
The West Virginia State Police is at any time subject to the call of the West Virginia Alcohol
Beverage Control Commissioner to aid in apprehending any person violating any of the
provisions of chapter sixty of this code. They shall serve and execute warrants for the arrest
of any person and warrants for the search of any premises issued by any properly
constituted authority, and shall exercise all of the powers conferred by law upon a sheriff.
They may not serve any civil process or exercise any of the powers of an officer in civil
matters.
(d) Any member of the West Virginia State Police knowing or having reason to believe that
any person has violated the law may make complaint in writing before any court or officer
having jurisdiction and procure a warrant for the offender, execute the warrant and bring
the person before the proper tribunal having jurisdiction. The member shall make return on
all warrants to the tribunals and his or her official title shall be "Member of the West
Virginia State Police". Members of the West Virginia State Police may execute any summons
or process issued by any tribunal having jurisdiction requiring the attendance of any person
as a witness before the tribunal and make return thereon as provided by law. Any return by
a member of the West Virginia State Police showing the manner of executineg the warrant or
process has the same force and effect as if made by a sheriff.
(e) Each member of the West Virginia State Police, when called by the sheriff of any county,
or when directed by the Governor by proclamation, has full power and authority within the
county, or within the territory defined by the Governor, to direct and command absolutely
the assistance of any sheriff, deputy sheriff, chief of police, ptoliceman, natural resources
police officer and peace officer of the state, or of any county or municipality therein, or of
any able-bodied citizen of the United States, to assist and aid in accomplishing the purposes
expressed in this article. When called, any officer or person is, during the time his or her
assistance is required, for all purposes a member of the West Virginia State Police and
subject to all the provisions of this article.
(f) The superintendent may also assign members of the division to perform police duties on
any turnpike or toll road, or any secgtion of any turnpike or toll road, operated by the West
Virginia Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority: Provided, That the
authority shall reimburse the Weest Virginia State Police for salaries paid to the members and
shall either pay directly or reimburse the division for all other expenses of the group of
members in accordanceL with actual or estimated costs determined by the superintendent.
(g) The West Virginia State Police may develop proposals for a comprehensive county or
multicounty plan on the implementation of an enhanced emergency service telephone system
and may cause a public meeting on the proposals, all as set forth in section six-a, article six,
chapter twenty-four of this code.
(h) By July 1, 1993, the superintendent shall establish a network to implement reports of the
disappearance of children by local law-enforcement agencies to local school division
superintendents and the State Registrar of Vital Statistics. The network shall be designed to
establish cooperative arrangements between local law-enforcement agencies and local
school divisions concerning reports of missing children and notices to law-enforcement
agencies of requests for copies of the cumulative records and birth certificates of missing
children. The network shall also establish a mechanism for reporting the identities of all
missing children to the State Registrar of Vital Statistics.
(i) The superintendent may at his or her discretion and upon the written request of the West
Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Commissioner assist the commissioner in the coordination
and enforcement of article sixteen, chapter eleven of this code and chapter sixty of this code.
(j) Notwithstanding the provisions of article one-a, chapter twenty of this code, the
Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police may sell any surplus real property to which
the West Virginia State Police or its predecessors retain title, and deposit the net proceeds
into a special revenue account to be utilized for the purchase of additional real property and
for repairs to or construction of detachment offices or other facilities required by the West
Virginia State Police. There is hereby created a special revolving fund in the State Treasury
which shall be designated as the "Surplus Real Property Proceeds Fund". The fund shall
consist of all money received from the sale of surplus real property owned bey the West
Virginia State Police. Moneys deposited in the fund shall only be available for expenditure
upon appropriation by the Legislature: Provided, That amounts collecterd which are found
from time to time to exceed the funds needed for the purposes set forth in this subsection
may be transferred to other accounts or funds and redesignated for other purposes by
appropriation of the Legislature.
(k) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, the agency for surplus property is
hereby empowered to transfer funds generated from the sale of vehicles, other equipment
and commodities belonging to the West Virginia State Police to a special revenue account
within the West Virginia State Police entitled the West Virginia State Police surplus transfer
account. Moneys deposited in the fund shall only be available for expenditure upon
appropriation by the Legislature: Provided, That amounts collected which are found from
time to time to exceed the funds needed for the purposes set forth in this subsection may be
transferred to other accounts or funds and redesignated for other purposes by appropriation
of the Legislature. Any funds transferred to this account may be utilized by the
superintendent to defray the ceost of normal operating needs of the division.
(l) If the State Police or Lany other law-enforcement agency in this state receives a report that
a person who has Alzheimer's disease and related dementia is missing, the State Police or
any other law-enforc ement agency shall immediately open an investigation for the purpose
of determining the whereabouts of that missing person. Any policy of the State Police or any
other law-enforcement agency relating to a waiting period prior to initiation of an
investigation of a missing person does not apply in the case of a person who has Alzheimer's
disease or other related dementia of the type referred to in this subsection.
(m) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, effective on and after July 1,
2007, the expenses and salaries paid to the members of the West Virginia State Police for
the monitoring and enforcement duties defined in chapter seventeen-c of this code may not
be paid from the State Road Fund or subject to reimbursement from the Division of Motor
Vehicles but is subject to appropriation by the Legislature.

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