DOH WEIGHT ENFORCERS WILL CARRY WEAPONS - Agency Has Experienced Problems After Dark

(07/25/2002)

Division of Highways weight enforcement officers will be armed with semi-automatic handguns. The 63 DOH officers who weigh coal, logging and other trucks for being overweight will begin a special 122 hour training course with the West Virginia State Police, according to Cameron Lewis, Director of Enforcement. Lewis said there have been problems on road patrols, particularly at night, related to surly drivers who felt they should not be stopped and weighed. The DOH officers have also encountered illegal aliens. The officers are allowed to make drunk driving arrests, but they have nearly always deferred to regular police officers. "Old officers" with the DOH enforcement division will not be forced to take the training and carry a weapon, but all new employees will be required.

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