CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK)—The West Virginia State Police Superintendent has resigned, and West Virginia Governor Jim Justice is calling on the new interim superintendent to “clean up the bad stuff” and “restore trust and integrity to the state police.”
Gov. Jim Justice said in a press release that Jan Cahill resigned from his position. According to the governor, Cahill requested to speak with him this morning, Monday, March 20, 2023. Justice said Cahill began their conversation by telling him, “I resigned five minutes ago.”
According to Justice, the new interim superintendent replacing Cahill will be Jack Chambers. Chambers is currently a deputy of the Capitol Police and previously served as Lieutenant Colonel in the WVSP and the Capitol Police for a total of 26 years, the governor says.
Justice says he expects that Chambers will address any issues and allegations against the WVSP, including allegations of a trooper, who has since passed away, installing a camera in a women’s locker room at a state police headquarters and recording video. Justice says other troopers who later found the USB flash drive with the video on it, allegedly “threw it on the floor and stomped on it,” destroying the evidence.
The governor calls these allegations a violation of women’s rights, saying a women’s locker room should be considered a “safe place,” and urged Chambers to get to the bottom of the situation.
“We want to stand for our laws and stand for our principles unquestionably,” Justice said. “Well I stand with our state police up until it goes beyond what is right.”
Justice also brought up allegations of a trooper stealing money from a guest at the Mardi Gras casino.
“Basically, any way you cut it, that money was stolen,” Justice said. “I’m asking Jack Chambers to reopen that investigation and handle it properly.”
According to Justice, federal investigators are also looking into the allegations against the West Virginia State Police. Justice says he received a report on allegations, but calls it “way too incomplete,” and says the state needs to continue investigations.
