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Charleston police chief retires, appointment made

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Mayor Danny Jones announced at a Tuesday morning news conference that longtime Charleston Police Chief Brent Webster is retiring from the department and taking another job in city government.

Jones announced that Chief of Detectives Lt. Steve Cooper will become the new chief. Cooper, a 23-year veteran of CPD, has headed up the detective division for more than a dozen years.

“Being the police chief of the Capitol City is a big deal. All eyes are on you and there’s always a spotlight, and fortunately, I think we do enough good things that the spotlight is something that we relish,” Cooper said.

Webster will become Charleston’s new public works director with the retirement of Gary Taylor.

“It’s an opportunity to spread my wings a little bit and go learn about another area and try to help the city. I live in the city, I believe in the city and I want to stay in public administration,” Webster said.

Cooper and Webster have worked together for more than 13 years.

“I’ll have my own vision for the police department, but it won’t be dissimilar to his,” Cooper said.

Being a police officer is a job Cooper said he enjoys doing every day.

“When you become a cop, what you want to do is catch bad guys and you want to help people. I’ve spend 23 years doing that. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and I enjoy coming to work every day since I was sworn in,” he said.

Jones appointed Webster as his chief right after he took office nearly 16 years ago. The Hardy County native has been a member of the Charleston force for nearly two dozen years.

“I’m sure I’ve sworn in well over half the department with the mayor,” Webster said. “The police chief is a personnel manager, but the job is about relationships. It’s about reducing crimes and community engagement.”

Webster is planning for a smooth transition with Cooper.

“I’ll be in City Hall and other departments, so I hope that gives him a little comfort,” he said.

Cooper is expected to take over the chief’s job in about seven weeks.





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