On Thursday, Jan. 28, the Alderson Police Department released their Yearly Activity Report for 2020. The comprehensive report contains all operational and peace-keeping efforts undertaken by the Alderson Police Department during the previous calendar year.
As stated in the report, a total of 64 written warnings were given and 147 full citations were issued. Police officers arrested 98 individuals suspected of committing a crime, resulting in 143 separate charges. There were 75 court hearings held regarding DMV-related offenses.
The Alderson Police Department was contacted on 774 separate occasions to request assistance or to request that an investigation be conducted. There were 15 building checks performed in the month of December, alone. All told, officers traveled 53,829 miles over the course of 2020 and provided 6,445 man-hours of service to the community.
According to Lt. J.R. Byer of the Alderson Police Department, these numbers are down somewhat from recent years.
“They (the numbers) are low,” Byer said. “Normally they’re a little bit higher. But that’s primarily due to the pandemic. And also it’s due, in part, to some of the officer turnover we’ve had in the town.”
A 19-year veteran of law enforcement, Byer was hired in August of 2020 to serve as Officer in Charge after Alderson Police Chief Bennett stepped away for extended military-leave. Byer had previously served as the city of Ronceverte’s chief of police for eight-years.
Byer said that narcotics are one of Alderson’s most significant concerns.
“We’re staying vigilant,” Byer said. “We’ve executed somewhere between seven and nine warrants between Sept. 1 and the first of the year.”
Byer explained that several of those warrants executed had been federal warrants.
“We’re working hand-in-hand with Homeland Security and the State Police Drug Task Force,” Byer stated.
One such warrant was executed on December 2, 2021. The Alderon Police Department, in conjunction with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Police and the West Virginia State Police, confiscated 17.47 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 7.5 grams of cocaine, an assortment of scheduled-pharmaceuticals and a variety of drug paraphernalia from a residence on Monroe Street North. The search warrant also led to the arrest of a known drug dealer with prior felony convictions.
“We’ve allowed the citizens in town to feed us information,” Byer said. “And we’ve done our best to follow-up on every phone call and email…every lead. I tell everybody, when you see something that doesn’t seem right, let us know.”
According to Byer, “We’re pretty much back up to full staff.”
Since being brought in as Officer in Charge, Byer has hired several additional officers for the town’s police department. Alderson is budgeted to have four full-time officers on staff. Currently, the department is utilizing three full-time and several part-time officers to maintain an appropriate law enforcement presence.
