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ELKINS -- Local shoppers may have noticed an uptick in police presence recently when venturing to the Elkins Walmart store on the Beverly Five Lane.
The store has contracted to have deputies work at the location when they are not working their regular shifts for the Randolph County Sheriff's Office, Randolph County Sheriff Rob Elbon told The Inter-Mountain Monday.
"What we have going on with the deputies at Walmart is that the store has contracted off-duty deputies to provide security for Walmart Corporation," Elbon said. "Walmart was having a security issue that they were kinda concerned about, so they asked us to cover the store during operating hours…
"It's just an added layer of security they wanted to put in there. I don't think there are any threats of any type, it's just a security measure."
Elbon said the deputies have been stationed at the store throughout the day from opening time to closing -- 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
"We are about finished with the contract and I expect we will only be there a couple more days," Elbon said. "While we have been there, we have had deputies at that location from open to close. People may have also noticed a security vehicle outside patrolling the parking. The security vehicle is not one of ours, though. I believe it was sent in from Arkansas by the Walmart Corporation."
Elbon said he has no other details about the security vehicle, and noted the deputies' time working at the store, under the contract agreement with the county, is completely paid for by Walmart.
"It (contract) runs through our payroll, so that all the benefits, insurance, and everything else is paid for by the company that contracts," Elbon said. "It's just like where you see the state police down on the interstate sitting at these road construction sites – it's the same thing, identical."
Elbon said when he was first elected sheriff in 2021 he put measures in place so that his deputies could help businesses or other entities when an extra layer of security was needed.
"They (deputies) can't contract independently, but as long as the business is paying the total expense through the county, they can work for those businesses and other organizations that need help," Elbon said.
He added that the deputies use their own time to work at Walmart and decide amongst themselves which shifts they will be working at the store.
"They break it up into different shifts, if a guy wants eight hours he can have eight hours," Elbon said. "But most of them work four or five hours and then somebody comes in and subs out for them. It's up to the individual guys, they have to be off the schedule for the county.
"The only way they qualify to work is if it is their off days for the county."