Mark Smith

October 4, 2005

Putnam Rotarians today heard the Sheriff of Putnam County share his views on law enforcement -- local and state. Mark Smith had served as chief training officer at the West Virginia State Police Academy before his retirement.

Before the state gave someone a gun and badge, Smith wanted to make sure that prospective officers would exercise good common sense under the stress of difficult circumstances they would face. "My job was to run them out the first day," he said.

At the Academy, he led his cadets in the rigorous physical training and then he chastised those with low performance.

And he never asked his officers to do jobs he was unwilling himself to perform.

When they heard him call in his first citation before daybreak, the junior officers "flushed like quail" out of the local detachment barracks.

Smith never had an inclination toward politics, but when people asked him to stand for sheriff, he answered the call. And he won.

The new sheriff enumerated the frustrations of local enforcement during his first term as Putnam sheriff.

"We are performing many civil duties which go beyond enforcement," he said.

After sending men for enforcement training, a seniority system often finds them doing bailiff duty. Out of the academy, they need field training with experienced officers who have learned the basics of common sense and public service.

"We are working on that problem," said Smith. During his tenure in office he has organized a "field-training" officer program for the department.

"Jail costs are killing us," he said. "Some of the jails are nicer than the schools your children attend." Gas costs are expected to go far over budget. Vehicular costs are escalating.

"Everyone wants to see a cruiser on their road," he said, "while our people are trying to respond to emergency calls that are often backed up."

A recent caller demanded speed monitoring on a single-lane, dead-end road "to make it safer for a doe and two fawns seen in the area."

A bright spot in the local picture is the dramatic reduction in methamphetamine labs in the county. Part of the credit goes to new laws and interdiction capabilities. But a great part must also be credited to rigorous and vigilant enforcement.