Welcome to the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security website. Here you will find information about the Office of the Secretary and the various agencies that make up this Cabinet Department.
- Office of the Secretary
- Deputy Cabinet Secretary
- Legal Services
- West Virginia Fusion Center
- Division of Emergency Management
- Homeland Security SAA
- Justice and Community Services section
- Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- Parole Board
- Division of Protective Services
- State Fire Marshal
- State Police
Mission Statement
The mission of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security is to provide a safe and secure state by ensuring the proper response to all levels, manners and phases of emergencies, disasters and crimes. The role of the Office of the Secretary is to provide support, oversight and guidance to agencies involved in all facets of public safety. This includes law enforcement and other first response agencies, as well as the state's criminal justice, correctional and homeland security systems. It was renamed from the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety (DMAPS) on May 28, 2020.
Adjutant General/National Guard
Adjutant General
Major General James Hoyer
The mission of the Adjutant General/National Guard is to maintain combat ready units and soldiers who are available to mobilize in support of National Military strategies. On the state level, our mission is to provide organized, trained and equipped units to protect life and property and to preserve peace, order and public safety when ordered by the governor. We also strive to add value to the communities in which we live, work and serve.
View the Adjutant General/National Guard website
Justice and Community Services section
Justice and Community
Services division
Joe Thornton, section chief
The mission of the Justice and Community Services section is to assist criminal and juvenile justice agencies and local government with research and performance data, planning, funding, and management of programs supported with granted funds, and to provide regulatory oversight of basic and annual in-service law enforcement training and certification; Community Corrections; Law Enforcement Response to Domestic Violence; and, juvenile detention facility standards compliance. Formerly the Division of Justice and Community Services, the section became part of the Division of Administration on June 5, 2019, through legislation signed earlier that year.
View the JCS website
Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation
William Marshall, Commissioner
The West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation oversees the state's adult and juvenile offender populations. It was created by legislation that became law on July 1, 2018 and consolidated the former Division of Corrections, Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority and Division of Juvenile Services.
View the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation website
Division of Corrections
The mission of the West Virginia Division of Corrections was to enhance public safety by providing a safe, secure, humane correctional system, including an effective community supervision program, opportunities to prepare for successful reentry, and sensitivity and responsiveness to victims of crime.
Homeland Security SAA
Homeland Security SAA
David Hoge, Director
The mission of the West Virginia Homeland Security State Administrative Agency is to lead the State’s coordination and collaboration efforts with public and private partners to provide a comprehensive prevention, preparedness, and response strategy to protect the people of the State of West Virginia.
Division of Emergency Management
Division of Emergency Management
G.E. McCabe, Director
The mission of Emergency Management, formerly the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, is to provide coordination to assist local emergency managers and first responders in providing for the protection of life and property.
View the Division of Emergency Management Website
Bureau of Juvenile Services
Bureau of Juvenile Services
William K. Marshall III, Director
The mission of the Bureau of Juvenile Services is to provide effective, beneficial services to youth in the Juvenile Justice System that promote positive development and accountability, while preserving community safety and sustaining a work environment predicated upon principles of professionalism, with dignity and respect for all.
Parole Board
Parole Board
Benita Murphy, Chairperson
The mission of the West Virginia Parole Board, as part of West Virginia’s criminal justice system, is to make independent, quality, conditional releases of adult offenders. It also makes clemency recommendations to the Governor for adult offenders and contributes to the protection of society by facilitating, as appropriate, the timely integration of offenders back into society as law-abiding citizens.
View the Parole Board Website
Division of Protective Services
Kevin Foreman
Division of Protective Services, Director
The mission of the West Virginia Division of Protective Services is to provide for the safety and security of individuals who visit and work at the West Virginia State Capitol Complex and to provide that service with a highly-trained and professional work force.
View Capitol Police Website.
Regional Jail and Correctional Facilities Authority
The mission of the West Virginia Regional Jail Authority was to ensure the public’s, staff’s, and inmate’s safety by maintaining a safe, secure and humane system of regional jails.
State Fire Marshal
State Fire Marshal
Kenneth Tyree Jr
The mission of the West Virginia State Fire Marshal is to improve the quality of life for citizens of West Virginia through the leadership, development and administration of fire safety programs and to reduce the loss of life and property through education, inspections, investigations, certification & licensure, building plan reviews and enforcement of fire safety laws.
View the State Fire Marshal Website
State Police
Colonel Jack Chambers
West Virginia State Police Superintendent
The mission of the West Virginia State Police is to provide direct and indirect law enforcement services, in a proficient and courteous manner, to the citizens of the state and to other law enforcement entities to ensure the continued security of persons, residential, governmental and business properties, and the safety of motorists operating on the state’s streets and highways.
View the State Police Website
West Virginia Fusion Center
Director Jack Luikart, WV Fusion Center
The mission of the West Virginia Fusion Center is to anticipate, identify, prevent, and monitor criminal activity and all other hazards and to responsibly distribute that intelligence to its stakeholders while both protecting the rights of its citizens and guarding the rights and integrity of law enforcement and private industry.
View the West Virginia Intelligence Fusion Center Website
DMAPS Professional Development Center
DMAPS Professional
Development Center
The West Virginia DMAPS Professional Development Center reflects a unique cooperative effort by the Division of Corrections and Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority. Its mission is to provide a safe, comfortable and professional environment to meet the academic, physical and psychological training needs of all students.
In partnership with Glenville State College, the DMAPS-PDC offers state-of-the-art technology and equipment, nationally recognized instructor support and a comprehensive curriculum to supply high-quality basic training and staff development programs.
Deputy Cabinet Secretary
G. Robert “Rob” Cunningham
DHS Deputy Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Secretary Jeff Sandy named G. Robert “Rob” Cunningham as Deputy Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security in January 2022.
Cunningham, a career federal agent and former state trooper, has dedicated his career to public safety. Before retiring from the U.S. Department of Justice in December 2022, he served as a senior special agent at its Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for more than 20 years. At ATF, Cunningham focused on crimes of violence involving firearms, possession of firearms by prohibited individuals, firearm trafficking organizations, explosives-related crimes, commercial fire investigations, and investigations involving organized criminal groups, gangs and traffickers of illegal controlled substances.
Legal Services
Phil Sword, Jodi Tyler, and Brandolyn N. Felton-Ernest.
What is now the Department of Homeland Security began consolidating its legal resources in 2017 to make the services provided, including policy advice, more streamlined and efficient.
DHS’ general counsel oversees this unit. General counsel and two lawyers work within the Office of the Secretary, with West Virginia State Police headquarters hosting a third. This approach allows for cross-training and consistent coverage of legal needs. Prior to consolidation, agencies within DHS utilized multiple attorneys assigned through the state Attorney General’s Office. The legal division now features one embedded assistant attorney general to ensure familiarity with the entire DHS organization and awareness of all issues, including those that may impact litigation.
Utilizing the attorneys’ expansive knowledge and experience, the legal division provides reliable, top-notch legal services and advice to all organizations within or served by DHS.
