West Virginia State Police organizes statewide cold case task force

The law establishes a statewide cold case task force within the West Virginia State Police. The task force investigates cold cases, as defined in a separate section of state law, and seeks to prosecute offenders. The task force may not take over another law enforcement agency’s ongoing investigation. The law took effect June 11, 2026, 90 days after passage.

The State Police superintendent selects the task force director and designates its other members. The executive board consists of the State Police superintendent and the presidents of the state police chiefs’ and sheriffs’ associations. The director must be selected from the State Police. Staffing depends on available funds. Retired state police may serve as volunteers or part-time employees, also subject to available funds. The executive board recommends procedures, including how many officers to assign. Its meetings are not subject to the state open meetings law.

The law creates a state fund for task force operations and directs the Fusion Center director to share information with the executive board. The State Police superintendent administers the fund. The Fusion Center director must cooperate as fully as practicable and make information in the state cold case database available. The fund may receive money from various sources, but spending generally requires legislative appropriation and must follow state budget rules. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, spending from collections is allowed without a specific legislative appropriation. The special spending rule applies for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.