SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- They're charged with policing the
state of West Virginia, but now State Police are coming out to say they need
more manpower.
As of Tuesday, Lt. Reggie Patterson of
the West Virginia State Police said the agency is short 33 troopers and could
soon be down as many as 50 officers because of upcoming retirements.
Those
figures don’t include the 275 troopers Patterson said the agency feels they
need to operate most efficiently.
About one-third of the state's
detachments have four or less troopers, which Patterson said puts a real strain
on those troopers.
One of the areas most in need of more
manpower is the Crimes Against Children Unit, according to Patterson.
