Latest news with #BluefieldPoliceDepartment
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
K-9 Crook joins the Bluefield Police Department
bluefield – K-9 Crook still has a lot of puppy energy and enthusiasm in him, but that's helping launch his career as a bomb-sniffing and evidence-finding dog for the Bluefield Police Department. The department's new recruit was circling his handler, Lt. Brian Copenhaver, when they arrived at the police station Monday. Crook, a Springer Spaniel, is about 2-years-old. 'We ordered Crook from Guardian Farms in Ona, Copenhaver said while the new recruit enjoyed all the attention. 'His specialty is bombs, so he's a bomb dog and article search. We actually named him Crook after Lt. Crook, who had died in the line of duty eight years ago, and we wanted to remember Crook and this way every time we go out and do a demonstration in the community, for the schools, any of that, it allows us to talk about Crook, what he had done here, his legacy here, and we wanted to do that through our dog here.' The late Lt. Aaron L. Crook died in the line of duty on May 30, 2017 after pulling over a suspected drunk driver at Lee Street and two law enforcement cruisers that were headed to the scene collided. He had been with the department since 2008. In May 2019, a section of Princeton Avenue was named the Bluefield Police Lt. Aaron L. Crook Memorial Road in his honor. K-9 Thor, who has been with the department for years, is still doing things like going to local schools, but the department decided to acquire a bomb dog. 'Kids love to pet Thor and Thor loves going out, but we know it's only a matter of time before Thor does retire and what we wanted to do was go ahead and start a younger dog out and get him going to be able to do the same things that Thor did,' Copenhaver said. Tail wagging, Crook tried climbing onto Copenhaver's desk and jumped out of his chair at one point. 'As you can tell, still very much puppy,' he said. 'Wants to work all the time. Very hyper.' Crook was chosen because Springer Spaniels have a lot of energy, which makes them very good search dogs, Copenhaver said. There are a lot of bird dogs in the law enforcement community now because they have good health and long lifespans. 'And they have high drives, which means they search really, really well,' Copenhaver said. 'And he wants to go right now.' The police department acquired Crook last April. Copenhaver contacted Guardian Farms and described the sort of dog that the department wanted. The owners, Kyle Patton and Levi Livingston, are both retired law enforcement officers in West Virginia and part of the West Virginia Police K-9 Association. 'I called them and explained to them what I wanted,' he said. 'They jumped on it and they were able to find him and train him up and got him ready for us. We actually went to a seminar the first part of April. We're certified through the West Virginia Police K-9 Association and he's ready to go. He's ready to work.' Crook can detect multiple odors that are in bombs. He also does what is called article search. If somebody leaves behind evidence of a crime, Crook can help locate it, Copenhaver said. Copenhaver had Crook demonstrate his sniffing capabilities before taking him outside. Yvonne Harris, a retired teacher living in Bluefield, watched the excited spaniel. 'I think he's cute as he can be,' she said. 'What kind of dog is he? He's bomb sniffing?' She asked about Crook's breed. 'A Springer Spaniel? My aunt had one of those,' Harris said. 'Look at him go. They are very active little dogs.' Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Decision on Bluefield's federal funding request will come later
bluefield — It could be a while before a decision is made on a federal funding request for a new combined EMS facility in Bluefield. City Manager Cecil Marson announced last month that officials had submitted three projects for potential funding through a Congressionally Directed Spending award, formerly known as the federal earmark funding process. The city's funding request was sent to U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, as well as U.S. Senator Jim Justice, Those projects are the combined EMS facility for police, fire and rescue, the Union Street Sewer and Stormwater Project and a second stormwater project planned for the Midway area. But a funding decision won't be made immediately. The funding requests are for fiscal year 2026, according to Kelley Moore, communications director for Capito. Moore said Congressionally Directed Spending awards will be considered by the Appropriations Committee in the coming months as the committee members draft Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills. 'Senator Capito carefully reviews each request individually, as she always has with this process,' Moore said, adding that Capito is familiar with the combined EMS project for Bluefield. 'She is aware of the project you referenced, but is still in the process of reviewing all of the requests. So it's too early to discuss support,' Moore said. The city announced the combined EMS facility project in 2024 when a legal advertisement for architectural and engineering consulting firms to aid in designing and constructing a campus that would serve the Bluefield Rescue Squad, the Bluefield Police Department and the Bluefield Fire Department was published in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. At the time, the city said the idea behind the campus is to relocate the city's fire and police departments as well as emergency services to a more centralized location in Bluefield so they can have quicker response times. A final location for the combined EMS campus has not yet been announced by the Bluefield Board of Directors. The amount of federal funding that will be available for the next cycle of Congressionally Directed Spending, or CDS awards, is not immediately known, according to Capito's office. 'In terms of how much funding will be available for the next round of CDS awards, CDS funding is capped at a certain percentage of total discretionary spending — typically around 1%,' Moore said. When the project was announced, officials said both the Bluefield Fire Department and the Bluefield Police Department had outgrown their existing quarters at Bluefield City Hall and were in need of more room. The Bluefield Rescue Squad, which is located next door to Mitchell Stadium off Stadium Drive, can also have problems sending ambulances on calls when events like the Beaver-Graham Game or the annual Holiday of Lights at city park create traffic backups. The federal funds being sought for the combined EMS facility would cover various expenses associated with the construction of the new campus. Although officials are seeking a federal CDS award, City Manager Cecil Marson said in an earlier interview that the city is applying for various grants for the projects with the CDS awards being just one funding option. Contact Charles Owens at cowens@
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Yahoo
Tragedy of child abuse highlighted by Children's Memorial Flag Day
princeton – Children lost to violence and those still suffering violence were remembered Friday with the ringing of a bell and the raising of a special flag during the 2025 Children's Memorial Flag Day. Supporters met outside the Mercer County Courthouse for the annual event to remember seven children across the region lost to child abuse and neglect in 2024. Bill Archer, president of the Mercer County Commission, rang a bell outside the courthouse seven times in their memory. Besides music and a march around the courthouse, Friday's ceremony included awards and recognitions for professionals and volunteers who worked to aid children in need. Child Protect of Mercer County presented service awards to Eden Scruggs, Sgt. K.L. Ross of the Bluefield Police Department and Amanda Ennis for work in aiding and protecting the community's children. One award presented for the first time went to the person who got the county's child protection agency underway almost 20 years ago. Shiloh Woodard, Child Protect of Mercer County's chief executive officer, became the first person to receive the new Beacon of Hope Award. 'If you have ever met Shiloh Woodard, even for five minutes, then you know why I am up here singing her praise and celebrating her commitment to this work,' said Beth Sizemore with Child Protect of Mercer County. 'Shiloh will be leaving her post as executive director of Child Protect after 19 years of impeccable service. She is starting a new and exciting role as chief executive officer of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network.' Sizemore said that when Woodard joined Child Protect of Mercer County, she was its sole employee and had an annual budget of around $50,000. 'In those years since her humble beginnings, the agency has grown to employ 15 people and have a budget of over $1 million,' Sizemore said. 'That is all because of one person, Shiloh. She will try to deflect the credit, but everyone knows that is true.' Woodard, who knew she was the scheduled keynote speaker but not a scheduled award recipient, said Friday was the last time she would be attending Children's Memorial Flag Day as a member of the community's strong force of child protection professionals. 'And with that in mind, I want to spend my few moments of time in front of you all saying what seems to me to be the most important thing,' Woodard said. 'And that is encouragement.' Woodard urged everyone present to rededicate themselves to the protection of children within their sphere of influence whether it is through their work, their families or the circles in which they find themselves. 'I encourage you to go above and beyond what is expected to create safety nets and supports for the vulnerable children and families in your life – both professinally and personally,' Woodard said. 'I encourage those of you who have dedicated yourselves, your careers and at times your own wellbeing to the cause of child welfare and child protection to continue to fight the good fight.' In 2024, West Virginia's Child Protection Services received 41,227 referrals and 24,301 of them moved on to investigations, according to Allison Kelly with the state Department of Health and Human Resources. Mercer County had 1,412 referrals and 931 moved to investigations. Mercer County had the seventh highest number of referrals in the state. West Virginia had 7,034 children in custody during 2024 and currently has 5,955. Mercer County has 170 children taken into custody during 2024 – the sixth largest in the state – and currently has 231 in custody. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
