Elkins mayor to temporarily head police department
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ELKINS -- Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco will temporarily oversee the Elkins Police Department’s operations until a new Chief of Police is appointed and takes office.
During Elkins City Council’s Thursday night meeting, seven present council members voted to allow Marco to “directly exercise supervisory and administrative authority” over the Elkins Police Department until a new Chief of Police is appointed by the Council. Council also approved a temporary pay raise for Captain Ronald Bell of the Police Department.
First Ward Council member Cody Kerns, Second Ward representative Michael Hinchman and Fourth Ward member Andrew Carroll were absent from the meeting.
The matter was listed on the agenda as “Interim structure for the police department.” During Thursday’s meeting, Council went into executive session for 45 minutes to discuss the matter with City Attorney Geraldine Roberts, returning from the session with no action taken.
Fifth Ward Council member Cody Thompson then made a motion to follow city and state codes and appoint Marco to temporarily “oversee the administration and operations of the police department.” Thompson also moved for Bell’s provisional raise.
“I propose a motion that, until a Chief of Police is appointed by Council and assumes office, the mayor shall directly exercise supervisory and administrative authority over the police department,” Thompson said during the meeting. “Vested in the mayor by West Virginia Code §8-10-1 and §8-14-1, and recognized in §34.02 of the City Code, the mayor shall directly oversee the administration and operations of the police department pending the appointment of a Chief of Police.”
“I also move that we approve a temporary adjustment to the base salary of of Captain Ronald Bell effective until a newly appointed Chief of Police assumes office.”
Bell has attended the last two City Council meetings as a representative of the Elkins Police Department, assuming the Chief of Police’s role in sharing statistics and updates with the Council.
This comes after the City of Elkins received the resignation of former Elkins Chief of Police Travis Bennett on July 8. On July 9, Council voted to “post a job description, approved by HR, for a new Chief of Police.”
Bennett had served as the Elkins Police Chief for more than six years, having been sworn in by former Mayor Van Broughton in September 2019. Bennett had been an officer with the department for four years prior to becoming chief.
“Travis Bennett was more than a police chief; he was a mentor to our officers and a tireless advocate for their well-being and professional growth,” Marco said in a City of Elkins press statement after Bennett’s resignation. “Chief Bennett leaves this department stronger than he found it; not just in numbers, but in his character and capabilities. We are incredibly thankful for his years of tireless service and the solid foundation he has built for our city’s future."
Before Council voted in favor of opening the position on July 9, Marco stated that, while the City usually brings the matter up with the Personnel and Finance Committees first, the urgency of needing the position filled led everyone to agree that bringing the matter directly to Council was “the right thing to do.”
In a comment to The Inter-Mountain after the July 9 meeting’s conclusion, Marco said Bennett will still be “in the books” until Aug. 1, but would be on leave between now and then.
“It was (Bennett’s) choice,” Marco told The Inter-Mountain on July 9. “He had positive things to say about his experience with the City, and I’m thankful for what he did for us and how he raised the bar.”
Marco retired from the FBI after more than 28 years of service in September 2020. More than half of his FBI career involved supporting the Global War on Terrorism, traveling the world both domestically and internationally.
The Elkins City Council will meet again at 7 p.m. on Aug. 6 in the Phil Gainer Community Center.