by Trish Rudder
The Town of Bath Public Safety committee has said the town will advertise soon for a full-time police officer.
At the December 17 meeting, Bath Mayor Scott Merki said the town needs
“24/7 coverage.” He said the town will place advertisements in area newspapers by January 31 for a police officer, and the town wants trained officers.
The town has one part-time police officer in addition to the police chief. Merki said the town needs three full-time officers.
The chief of police, T.J. Johnson, is the only full-time officer working for the
town. The last full-time police officer hired was Jennifer McGuire, who resigned last February. McGuire was hired in August 2018 but needed state certification from the West Virginia Police Academy. She resigned her full-time position while attending the 16-week training in Charleston.
The Town of Bath budget for the current fiscal year (2019-20) of $678,069 went into effect on July 1, 2019. The largest expense of $203,162 is for the police department, which is 30% of the total budget.
