Just because it never has does not mean it never will.

That is the plain-and-simple message Marshall County Sheriff Bill Helms wishes to deliver not only to his constituents but also to the residents across the Upper Ohio Valley. 

“If there is someone out there who doesn’t believe a mass shooting at a school can’t happen here, well, that’s just wishful, pie-in-the-sky thinking,” Helms said. “It absolutely could happen here, and if you look through the past tragedies, it has happened in places like Marshall County. These mass shootings take place in rural areas because they are not as protected as the schools in larger cities where help is literally just around the corner.

“We know we have to be ready,” the sheriff insisted, “because we know how vulnerable our children are if just one person wants to do something really, really bad one day.” 

Uvalde, Texas, is a city in Uvalde County, its population was a little more than 15,000 in the 2020 Census, and it is closer to the border with Mexico (54 miles) than it is to a sizeable city (80 miles to San Antonio). Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey is a native son of Uvalde, and gliding is a very big deal in this Texas town.

But for some reason, none of that mattered to 18-year-old Salvador Ramos during the early afternoon of May 24.  

“A mass shooting at one of our schools is not something you want to be prepared for, but it is something you have to prepare for just in case,” Helms said. “Our deputies are trained for it, and they are always learning new tactics. And we have the equipment that would be necessary, so yeah, we’re ready to defend our children and educators.

“I can remember when I was young, my instructors always told me I would fall back onto my training when I needed it, but I never really knew what they meant by that until I was in a shootout situation,” he explained. “When those situations are upon you, you just react. You go off your instincts, and if you have trained correctly, those instincts are going to be right. That is why our guys train all of the time.”

A room of desks.
McKinley & Associates designed Cameron High to have a lot of natural light in the classrooms.

Training, Sir!

WalletHub angered Sheriff Helms way before the website was criticized recently by W.Va. Gov. Jim Justice because a survey criticized the state’s economy.

Back on May 9, WTRF shared a report with the headline, “West Virginia ranked one of the worst states for police officers.” The Mountain State was 48th out of 51 overall, and what irked Helms was the 45th ranking for law enforcement training requirements.

“For a person to even write that, they had to know that they weren’t telling the truth. They had to know,” the sheriff said. “Someone could have made a phone call.”

That’s because the State Police Academy in Institute, W.Va., hosts a 15-week, paramilitary training camp that every interested individual must pass before being sworn in. The program remains one of the best in the country, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

“From the first day our deputies are at the academy in Charleston, they are trained by top-notch instructors on all of the topics and situations that a member of law enforcement may encounter on and off the job,” Helms said. “Our academy does such a great job that other states have modeled theirs after ours. That’s how good it is, and that is why I have all the confidence in the world in our deputies when they return and are ready for duty in Marshall County.

“From that point, we have training taking place all of the time, and that’s because we have to stay in front of the criminals and the situations that take place like a mass shooting in a school,” he said. “Marshall County is a very large county, and that means there are challenges, but those are considered when the training takes place. Everyone is held to a certain standard throughout their respective careers.”

A photo of a police cruiser.
It is all about the public’s safety when it comes to the deputies of the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office.

Protect and Serve

The job has changed.

“When I was a state trooper, I was paid $14,000, and the utility belt weighed no more than 15 pounds,” said John Gruzinksas, a retired West Virginia state trooper, who was sheriff in Marshall County for eight years. “Now, the belt weighs at least 40 pounds because of everything the deputies have to carry with them these days.

“We ask our law enforcement officers to do much more than what we did before,” he said. “That’s why Marshall County is now offering $52,000 per year to start as a deputy,” said the county commissioner. “Not only are we short of deputies, but everyone calls 9-1-1 for everything these days. Everything. Plus, it seems fist fights turn into gun battles anymore. So, yeah, the job has changed since I got involved almost 40 years ago, and the training is much different because of how much it’s changed.”

The primary goals of law enforcement, Helms contended, have remained the same, and that means the public, for the most part, sees the deputies smile and shake hands with members of the public.

“If you think about it, 99 percent of what we do is routine, but it’s that 1 percent that’s not routine, and that’s what we train for,” Helms explained. “It’s what we get prepared for because those scenarios are part of the job, too. That is why my people stand to protect the children of Marshall County whenever that is necessary. There will be no hesitation on anyone’s part.

“I have been in some pretty crazy situations with these men and that is why I would not hesitate to do it again,” he insisted. “I have all the faith in the world in my deputies, and once they go through that training, I know they are ready to go.”

A photo of a school.
John Marshall High School was renovated during the past decade and is now much more comfortable and safe than it was.

 17.2 Miles

It depends which way you go and what road a deputy is on when they are called into action, of course, but on most occasions, it takes Sheriff Helms a little more than 30 minutes to travel from the Sheriff’s Office in Moundsville to Cameron.

Marshall County covers a very large area, so big that nearly three swaths of land the same size as Ohio County (109 square miles) could squeeze within its border.

Marshall County is so big (HOW BIG IS IT!?) that a Krishna community and a gay community can live within its border in perfect peace and harmony.

“Our county is 312 square miles, and it takes a long time to get from one end of it to the other. Plus, I have a limited number of deputies that I can use for our schools,” Helms said. “At this time, I have five deputies in the schools and that’s more than most in the state, and we do have one of them stationed in Cameron. It wouldn’t make sense not to have one there and he spends time at high school and middle school, and he also spends time over at the elementary school.

“God forbid something should happen out there, but if it does, the perpetrator will be dealing with Dillion Schrack. It would be all on him and I wouldn’t want to be that perp, I can tell you that,” he said. “He’s well trained, he’s well equipped, and he is as prepared as possible. That’s all we can do and he’s done it.”

Cameron is not alone, though. Sherrard is located in a very rural area as are Hilltop Elementary and Sand Hill Elementary, but those facilities are protected, too, the sheriff reported.  

“School shooters are scary, right? Well, you know what else is scary? Let me tell you what else is scary, and that is one of our deputies in that school who is armed and ready to do what he needs to do to protect children,” Helm said. “I wouldn’t want to be the other guy. I know that, and anyone thinking about doing something has to run that through their head. 

“Plus, you never know who is in the area at that time and how long it will take them to get there to respond,” the sheriff added. “But yes, in those situations, sometimes a deputy has to know it’s all on them until the rest of us can get there.”

2 COMMENTS

  1. Very well said, our Sheriff and Deputies are well-trained and professional they also have families to be concerned of they travel alone in some of the most remote areas 24 hours a day along with populated areas never knowing what may arise, they are husband/wives, mothers, and fathers with a job to do that do they with respect for all.

    • Well said Albert. I know many of them personally and know they would be the first to protect and respond to any problem.

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