There are 10,795 Marshall County residents that Bill Helms wishes to thank someday, but the chief deputy of the Sheriff’s Office is preparing to serve all the citizens as county’s next sheriff.
Sheriff Kevin Cecil soon will complete his two terms and eight years in the position, and then Helms will be sworn in and begin serving as sheriff on Jan. 1, 2021. Helms has been in law enforcement for more than 25 years and ran unopposed as a Democrat.
“I said early on when people started to support me and my campaign for sheriff that it was overwhelming and humbling, and I have used that word ‘humbling’ quite a lot because I can’t think of a better way to describe it,” Helms said. “When people know you well enough and trust you well enough to give you their vote, that speaks volumes to me.
“I am so appreciative of the people who voted for me and who supported me,” he continued. “So many people have reached out to me to congratulate me. I really didn’t expect that part of it, but it’s been wonderful to hear from so many people that live in our county.”
According to West Virginia Code, a county’s sheriff can serve only two consecutive, four-year terms, and the individual is responsible for enforcing laws and supervising the collection of taxes. Helms will appoint Deputy Ralph Taylor to the position of chief deputy.
“I am thankful, too, for all of the people who voted for me, but offering them a ‘Thank You’ doesn’t seem as if it’s enough,” Helms said. “But I am grateful for each and everyone of them, and I plan to do the job they hired me to do.”
Tweaks Not Changes
Before he was elected as sheriff in Marshall County in 2012, Cecil served as chief deputy for current county Commissioner John Gruzinksas, and the two redefined the mode of operation for the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and grew the number of deputies for the department.
Gruzinksas and Cecil also created the Marshall County Drug Task Force, and that unit, Helms believes, has been impressive since the beginning.
“Our drug task force does wonderful things for the people of this county, but they do so many things that the residents do not hear about very often,” the Sheriff-Elect explained. “Those officers do a lot of work with prevention that makes it so difficult to deal drugs and get away with things in Marshall County. Sure, I know some things still go on, but definitely not as much as what could be.
“It was a brilliant idea to create our own drug task force for Marshall County, and we have had great success with it,” he said. “Those officers are going to stay out there and continue doing the great work that they do because those dealers know how difficult it is to traffic drugs in our country.”
Another procedure implemented by Cecil that Helms plans to keep in place concerns the department’s presence in the 312-square-mile county where more than 30,000 residents reside.
“Sheriff Cecil has preached during his eight years in the position about proactive patrolling, and I am a big believer in that,” Helms said. “When the deputies are out in the county and they are visible, it’s my belief that it does a great deal to deter crime and to keep things in check. I believe in it, and I know our residents like it.
“If you’re up to no good and you see one of our cruisers coming, I guarantee that you stop what it is you’re doing,” he said. “That patrolling also allows for our deputies to be out in the county and close to what’s going on, and we all realize the importance of response time.”
A Pandemic’s Impact
Not only have nearly 1,000 Marshall County residents contracted COVID-19 since late-March, but many residents have experienced issues connected to extended isolation and its impact on mental health.
Per state code, a county’s sheriff’s office is responsible for a plethora of duties other than law enforcement, and one of them is the transportation of residents to a psychiatric care facility when necessary, so several deputies have endured long trips when a bed is not available at WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale.
“We have been very busy with mental health issues because so many people have been stuck in place because of COVID-19. Some folks are not doing well in this current situation,” Helms reported. “Stress levels are high because all you hear is Covid this and Covid that, and it’s had a very bad effect on so many people.
“We have been placing a lot of resources for those who need that help, and we are doing more transports than ever before so we can get these folks to the people who can help with their issues,” he said. “Our deputies have made many trips to Huntington, Charleston, and wherever we can find a bed so these folks can get that help.”
That’s his plan as an elected official. To help in any way he can, and that is why he plans to be as accessible as possible.
“So much great work has been done by Sheriff Cecil and former sheriff John Gruzinksas, so there’s already a great base that is in place inside our department,” Helms explained. “Those two men have changed the face of this office, and that’s why so many things are going to stay the same as they are now. The department has grown, and I plan to stay on that same track as it is necessary.
“Another goal of mine to get school resource officers into all of our schools, too, because I feel that it is necessary to have that presence in our schools,” the chief deputy said. “I still hear a lot of complaints from folks about the gas and oil trucks, and that is why we will have some specialized patrols to cover that issue.”
