Jefferson County Sheriff's Department (West Virginia)

The current sheriff is Thomas Hansen. His Chief Deputy is a veteran of the department, Victor Lupis. The department has one Lieutenant, Lieutenant Dave Colbert, also a veteran of the department. The agency consists of 30 sworn deputies (including the sheriff) and a number of civilian aides. The JCSD is divided into two sections: Patrol and Court Services. The patrol section provides full-service 9-1-1 law enforcement response. The court services section provides security for the Jefferson County courthouse, service of all court-ordered writs, and prisoner detention and transportation.

The agency also has one of the best reserve programs in the state of West Virginia with about 25 reserve deputies. It runs a part-time academy, the Eastern Panhandle Deputy Sheriff Reserve Academy, lasting about six months. Other agencies in the state send their reserve deputies to that academy for training.

The law enforcement division currently has three K-9’s assigned to road patrol, trained in the detection of illegal narcotics and tracking. The department also has two Drug Recognition Experts that are highly trained in the detection of impaired drivers.

The department has two detectives currently assigned to major felony investigations, including a detective specifically trained in investigating child abuse and child sexual assault allegations within the county. The criminal investigative unit also has a criminal analyst who is highly trained in forensic examinations of all electronic devices, including cellular phones and computers.

The law enforcement division handles all 911 emergency and non emergency calls in the jurisdiction of Jefferson County, which includes the towns of Harpers Ferry, Summit Point, Kearneysville, Shepherdstown, Kabletown, and Leetown.

In February 2007, Corporal Ronald Fletcher was shot and critically wounded during a stand-off at the residence of the girlfriend of a suspect, Dorsey Cox. Cox had been at his girlfriend's house retrieving personal items in violation of a court-ordered protective order. As Corporal Fletcher approached the house, Cox fled inside and subsequently shot Corporal Fletcher four times, one of which struck the officer in the chest. The State Police's SWAT team entered the house. Cox was later found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.[2]

On June 5, 2012, Sheriff Robert Shirley was indicted on one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of destruction, falsification or alteration of a record in a federal investigation. He is alleged to have beaten Mark Daniel Haines, who later plead guilty to bank robbery, during his arrest on December 27, 2010. He is also alleged to have altered a use of force report while the incident was under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[3] The case is ongoing.

Shirley and 14 other "John Doe" law enforcement officers are also currently the subject of a civil rights lawsuit filed by Haines.[4] The lawsuit alleges that Shirley and the other officers used excessive force while arresting Haines. The case is ongoing.

• List of law enforcement agencies in West Virginia

• Jefferson County Sheriff's Department Website