WESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — The City of Weston recently met with the Lewis County Commission and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department to discuss the possibility of combining law enforcement efforts, which would make for the first metro police force in the state.
According to Kim Harrison-Edwards, the mayor of Weston, there are many forms of metro police that the public needs to understand.
“It can be from a simple mutual aid agreement to a more concerted effort on targeting crime, to a full-fledged combining or merging of forces,” Harrison-Edwards said.
Harrison-Edwards also said that both Weston and Lewis County are always looking for ways to be more efficient and provide better services to the citizens. She added that “due to staffing shortages and getting qualified employees, there’s always a need for additional law enforcement.”
During the meeting, the different departments explored their options for improving law enforcement county-wide; there are plans for another meeting to take place. Harrison-Edwards said that when this second meeting takes place, the city of Weston and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Department will establish a mutual aid agreement which she said will “just provide better communications between the two agencies.”
This plan still remains in the preliminary phase, but Harrison-Edwards said she feels like the agencies could benefit from such an agreement.
“Although Lewis County and the City of Weston law enforcement officers do have an excellent working relationship with one another, we do realize that communication efforts could be stepped up,” she said.
One perceived benefit for the departments that Harrison-Edwards brought up is for when certain types of crimes are being targeted. She said that “it is good to share that information between the departments so that they both can be more effective.”
