His office location has changed, and so has his badge, but Bill Helms is Bill Helms.
He loves to cook his smoker, to spend time with his wife
, their children, and their children’s children, but when it comes to Marshall County and its residents, Sheriff Helms is all business. He won the office by a landslide vote on Nov. 3 and has followed Kevin Cecil and John Gruzinskas in the position.
“Talk about some big shoes to fill,” the sheriff said with a chuckle. “Those two guys really reinvented the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. Not only has the training changed, but just the way our deputies go about their jobs has improved since John was first elected.
“Kevin continued to evolve the department, and I plan to continue that process so our guys can protect the citizens of this county better than ever,” Helms continued. “Serving as the Chief Deputy for Kevin was an honor for me, but for the people of Marshall County to elect me to this position is humbling. I really can’t think of a better word to use other than humbling.”
Gruzinskas, now one of three Marshal County commissioners, served as a West Virginia State Trooper for 25 years before getting elected to a pair of terms to the sheriff’s position, and Cecil was “Big John’s” chief deputy.
“It hasn’t always worked like that here, but now it has twice in a row,” Helms explained. “Whether or not it continues is something to be seen, but over the last 16 years I’ve learned a lot. So much has changed in law enforcement, and it continues to happen almost daily. No matter what, though, it’s about the people.”
Possible Changes?
Marshall County is home to five police departments, including Benwood, Cameron, Glen Dale, McMechen, and Moundsville, so Helms’ deputies respond to those communities only when requested. Otherwise, they patrol the other 275 square miles in one of the largest counties in the Mountain State.
And that mode of operation will remain in place.
“Our residents like to see us out there in the areas most people don’t hear abut on a daily basis,” Helms explained. “Sometimes they will wave our guys down to let us know something. I think people will be surprised about how much that helps us get to the bottom of some of the issues our residents experience.
“I even like getting out there sometimes although it’s a little more difficult these days,” he said. “Not only do we have a beautiful county, but we have people who live all over the place. Plus, we have had a lot of development that’s taken place in areas that had never seen what a superload looks like. The gas and oil industries have changed things for most of the folks who live out in those areas, so when we hear complaints about traffic and other things, we react and always will.”
But there could be changes made to the roles of the deputies assigned to Marshall County’s public schools and additions to the existing programs that interact with the area’s younger citizens. Currently, deputies assigned to school buildings as defined as “resource officers,” but an upgrade to “prevention resource officer” would upgrade the interaction between the students and officers.
“We’re looking at it because I do believe the relationship between law enforcement and our residents is a very important aspect of our job. It’s about trust, and the more our residents trust us, the more they are going to help us when we need answers,” Helms insisted. “That’s what this job is all about.”
The Learning Curve
When he’s not preparing barbecue or playing with one of his grandchildren, Bill Helms is a cop with more than 25 years of experience with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office and the Moundsville Police Department.
It’s what he knows and what he had done before Jan. 1, 2021. One that first day, not only was Helms responsible for squelching criminal activity in the county, but he’s now accountable as the tax collector.
“When I decided to run for the office, I knew there was a lot more to sheriff’s position than just law enforcement, and that’s fine. We have a great group of employees in our county tax office who do their jobs at a very high level,” the sheriff touted. “Whenever I have had questions, they have had the answers, and I have learned so much thanks to them.
“When it comes to tax collections, there’s a lot to consider because of all the industry that people see every day along (W.Va.) Route 2, but there is just as much out in the county these days,” he added. “It’s an amazing amount of work for the people in our tax office, but they do a great every day.”
