MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (October 23, 2025) – The Berkeley County Commission has been awarded a $1.2 million federal grant that will help fund five new county law enforcement positions.
Awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, the three-year Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant will be matched with $669,735 funds provided by the Berkeley County Commission. The County must fully fund the new law enforcement positions in the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office after the third year. The current 2025-26 Fiscal Year budget includes allocations for 68 uniformed law enforcement positions.
“We are committed to enhancing public safety in our community and we are happy to support Sheriff Blair and the dedicated officers of the sheriff’s department,” Berkeley County Commission President Eddie Gochenour said.
“I want to thank the Berkeley County Commission for their support,” Berkeley County Sheriff Rob Blair said. “Strong partnerships bring about great results, and I am committed to ensuring the Sheriff’s Office maintains a strong working relationship with the County governing body so we can confront growth-related demands for law enforcement from a position of strength,” Rob Blair said.
“This COPS grant award provides a great way for us to phase-in the expense of additional law enforcement personnel without asking county taxpayers to foot the bill through a levy rate increase as we continue to experience growth in our community,” Gochenour said.
About COPS Grants: The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services is responsible for advancing the practice of community policing across the nation through information-sharing and grant resources. The COPS Office has awarded funding to more than 13,000 state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies for the hiring and redeployment of nearly 140,000 officers.
About the Office of Berkeley County Sheriff: As authorized by Article IX of the West Virginia Constitution, the elected Sheriff of Berkeley County serves as the chief law enforcement officer for the county, and fulfills court-related duties as bailiff, enforcement of court orders, serving and executing returns, notices and processes issued by courts as well as duties as County Treasurer, including the collection of taxes.
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