W. Va. Code » §8-14-1. Power and authority with respect to the preservation of law and order; police force or departments.
West Virginia Code

W. Va. Code § 8-14-1 (2026)

Power and authority with respect to the preservation of law and order; police force or departments

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section WV-LEGwvlegislature.gov JustiaChapter on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar
ARTICLE 14. LAW AND ORDER; POLICE FORCE OR DEPARTMENTS; POWERS, AUTHORITY AND DUTIES OF LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS AND POLICEMEN; POLICE MATRONS; SPECIAL SCHOOL ZONE AND PARKING LOT OR PARKING BUILDING POLICE OFFICERS; CIVIL SERVICE FOR CERTAIN POLICE DEPARTMENTS.

PART I. LAW AND ORDER AND POLICE FORCE OR DEPARTMENTS.

§8-14-1. Power and authority with respect to the preservation of law and order; police force or departments.

Every municipality shall have plenary power and authority to protect persons and property within the municipality and preserve law and order therein, and, for this purpose, to provide for, establish, equip and maintain a police force or department. The police force or department in each municipality shall be subject to the authority, control and discipline of the administrative authority.

For the purposes of this article, the term "paid police department" shall be taken to mean only a municipal police department maintained and paid for out of public funds and whose employees are paid on a full-time basis out of public funds. The term shall not be taken to mean a department whose employees are paid nominal salaries or wages or are only paid for services actually rendered on an hourly basis.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 10 cases (5 in the last 5 years), 1993–2025 · leading case: Weigle v. Pifer ex rel. City of Vienna Police Dep't, 139 F. Supp. 3d 760 (S.D.W. Va 2015).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
Weigle v. Pifer ex rel. City of Vienna Police Dep't, 139 F. Supp. 3d 760 (S.D.W. Va 2015). · cites it 2× “J at * 25 (citing W. Va. Code § 8-14-1 and Tofi v. Napier, No.”
Alden v. Harpers Ferry Police Civil Serv. Comm'n, 543 S.E.2d 364 (W. Va. 2001). · cites it 2× “See generally W. Va.Code § 8-14-1, et seq.; W. Va.Code § 8-14A-1, et seq.”
State Ex Rel. Farley v. Spaulding, 507 S.E.2d 376 (W. Va. 1998). · cites it 4× “The relevant part of W.Va.Code § 8-14-1 (1998) provides that "every municipality shall have plenary power and authority to protect persons and property within the municipality and preserve law and order therein, and, for this purpose, to provide for, establish, equip and…”
State v. Nelson, 434 S.E.2d 697 (W. Va. 1993). · cites it 2× “See W.Va.Code § 8-14-1 to -23 (1990 & Supp.1992); Huntington Municipal Code § 141.”
City of Bridgeport v. Matheny, 675 S.E.2d 921 (W. Va. 2009). · cites it 4× “See generally W. Va.Code §§ 8-14-1 to -24; see Carr, 179 W.”
Carter v. Dunbar Police Dep't (S.D.W. Va 2022). · cites it 4× “It argues that the Plaintiffs cannot maintain a cause of action against the police department because it is a political subdivision, as stated by W. Va. Code Ann. § 8-14-1 . This provision states that municipal police departments are “subject to the authority, control and…”
Doe v. City of Gauley Bridge (S.D.W. Va 2022). · cites it 2× “” W. Va. Code § 8-14-1 . The Town of Gauley Bridge Municipal Ordinance § 2-101 also places police officers under the control of the mayor.”
Light v. St. Albans Police Dep't (S.D.W. Va 2025). · cites it 2× “13, citing W. Va. Code § 8-14-1 ) (other citations omitted).”
Smith v. The City of Pennsboro (N.D.W. Va. 2021). “Moreover, § 8-14-1 specifically limits the decision-making authority of any municipal chief of police by subjecting municipal police forces “to the authority, control and discipline of the administrative authority.”
Owens v. The City Of Pennsboro (N.D.W. Va. 2021). “Moreover, § 8-14-1 specifically limits the decision-making authority of any municipal chief of police by subjecting municipal police forces “to the authority, control and discipline of the Second Amended Complaint (Dkt.”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.