CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia State Police will hold its final testing opportunity for the upcoming cadet class Friday at the State Police Academy in Institute.
State Police Superintendent Col. Jan Cahill said applicants need to show up at 8 a.m. to take part in the testing.
The agency hopes to begin a cadet class at the academy on Aug. 29.
State lawmakers approved a $10,000 pay raise for troopers earlier this year. Cahill said the raise, which begins July 1, has helped some in recruitment but more in retention.
“We’ve maybe seen a slight uptick in recruiting, maybe a little better type of applicant, but we’ve immediately seen where it’s helped us in retention,” Cahill said.
This week marks Police week across the country. Jan Cahill, West Virginia State Police Superintendent, talks about what is going on within the state police and how individuals can get involved. He gives all those details to @DaveWilsonMN. WATCH: https://t.co/yCFQ3nDJuy pic.twitter.com/phrpTMj2Xe
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) May 18, 2022
The state police went into the legislative session hoping for locality pay in hopes in keep troopers in places like the Eastern Panhandle from skipping to other states instead Cahill and others were surprised that the final legislation included a $10,000 raise for all troopers.
The additional money has changed some minds, Cahill said.
“We’ve had some folks who perhaps were looking elsewhere or thinking about retiring have decided to stay on with us—so that’s really helped with retention. We think it’s absolutely going to help,” Cahill said.
After graduation from the academy, new troopers will start out at about $55,000 a year.
Cahill said troopers come from all walks of life and the agency sees it during its recruitment efforts.
“We encourage everyone but it’s really nice to have people that have had a lot of lifetime experiences, you really build upon that,” Cahill said.
Application for Friday’s testing can be found at here.