Personnel

The Morgantown Police Department is a full service law enforcement agency with an authorized strength of 72 sworn police officers and 11 civilian support staff. 

Population We Serve

Our agency serves an area of approximately 11 square miles and a population of more than 35,000 full time residents. Morgantown is home to West Virginia University with a current enrollment of over 30,000 students. Our agency is constantly preparing to handle an influx of visitors as the city and university hosts a variety of events throughout the year. Our employees remain committed to providing for the security, safety and well-being of our citizens and visitors.

Community Policing

As part of its emphasis on community policing, the Morgantown Police Department staff's a LGBTQ+ Liaison to provide a connection for LGBTQ+ residents as part of the city’s commitment to build an inclusive community. The Police Department LGBTQ+ Liaison will be responsible for fostering positive relations between the Police Department and the LGBTQ+ community. The liaison will bring to the Department a voice and an advocate for persons with diverse sexual orientation and will be able to bring personal awareness of LGBTQ+ issues to Police Department policy/procedure review and development as well as to training curriculum. View the position description here.

Morgantown Police LGBTQ+ Liaison
Patrolman Marshall Foster
mfoster@morgantownwv.gov

Personnel Training & Use of Force

Because of the strict adherence to policy, procedure and law, the department conducts annual training for all personnel. The annual training includes de-escalation and anti-bias training. Further, every use of force is reviewed by supervisory officers, staff officers and subject matter experts. Each use of force is independently evaluated to ensure that it complies with policy, training, and law.  If an officer is found to have violated any of those three elements, then depending upon the situation and appropriateness, retraining or disciplinary action up to and including termination may result in addition to prosecution if appropriate.

View the MPD policy on Use of Force here.
View the MPD policy on Racial Profiling here.

Morgantown police officers are issued body cameras which are also reviewed as part of a use of force evaluation. You can view the MPD policy on the use of body cameras here. Additionally, supervisors are charged with randomly checking those videos to ensure that officers are professional, adhering to policy, procedure, and law during the performance of their duties. The Morgantown Police Department strives to protect the rights of all citizens and enforce the law equally and justly to all.

View our Arrest Information page here.
View our Use of Force Information page here.

Victim Notification Program

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), administers the Victim Notification Program which allows eligible victims and witnesses to obtain reliable and timely information regarding a criminal alien's release from custody. Victims and witnesses can visit the website to view a number of valuable victim services provided by ICE.

Phone Scams

The Federal Communications Commission helps to prevent people from falling victim to harmful phone scams. If you'd like to report a potential scam, click here.

Fraud

The Morgantown Police Department would like to remind citizens to remain vigilant of fraud and scams such as identity theft and financial crimes. Fraud and scams come in many forms such as: 

• Work from Home/Employment scams
• Relative, friend or business associate needs you to wire funds
• Sweepstakes and Lottery scams
• IRS/Law Enforcement Officials impersonation scams
• Scams directed at the elderly 

If you receive a call and cannot verify the caller’s ID, feel unsafe, or suspect criminal activity, call the Morgantown Police Department non-emergency line at 304-284-7522 and dial ext. 0 to speak to an officer.

Visit www.donotcall.gov to add your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry.

To report a cyber scam, you can submit your complaint through www.ic3.gov.

​Covid-19 Fraud and Scams

The Morgantown Police Department has seen an increase in fraud and scam reports regarding COVID-19. There have been reports of:

•  Individuals and businesses selling fake cures for COVID-19 online and engaging in other forms of fraud
•  Phishing emails from entities posing as the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
•  Malicious websites and apps that appear to share virus-related information to gain and lock access to your devices until payment is received
•  Seeking donations fraudulently for illegitimate or non-existent charitable organizations

If you think you are a victim of a scam or attempted fraud involving COVID-19, you can report it without leaving your home though a number of platforms. Go to:

•  Contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via email at disaster@leo.gov
•  Report it to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov
•  If it's a cyber scam, submit your complaint through www.ic3.gov