Photo taken from https://townofpoca.com/
On Monday, March 2nd, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito announced that $32 million in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) allocations would be coming to West Virginia for Fiscal Year 2026 to support law enforcement and public safety projects throughout the State.
Almost ten percent of that total will be coming to Putnam County. The Town of Poca is slated to receive $2,400,000 for the construction of a new public safety building that will house Poca’s Police Department, Volunteer Fire Department, and Municipal offices along with a detachment of the Putnam County Emergency Medical Service.
The building will be located on 2.2 acres at 94 Etta Street on property that formerly belonged to the Carruthers family. Poca Mayor William Jones said that the project was approved last year but did not receive congressional funding. Jones is hopeful that the new building will be ready for occupancy before the end of 2027.
“I appreciate Senator Capito and thank her for her efforts,” Jones said. The mayor stated that no plans have been formulated for the current municipal building.
The City of Hurricane was allocated two CDS grants of $503,000 and $210,000. According to a press release from Sen. Capito, the larger of the two grants will provide the police department with “an enhanced ability to prevent, detect and prosecute crime, foster trust within the community through transparency and accountability, promote efficiency and safety for officers in the field and provide the department with an enhanced ability to protect and serve the residents of Hurricane and the surrounding communities whose citizens travel to Hurricane, which is accessible from I-64.” The $210,000 grant will also be utilized by the police department to enhance the crime prevention and detection capabilities and improve response abilities through equipment upgrades.
The City of Winfield has been allocated $61,000 for the purpose of purchasing and equipping a police interceptor vehicle to enhance public safety and support officer retention.
Three cities neighboring Putnam (Nitro, Milton and St. Albans) also received CDS grants.The Nitro Police Department will get $642,000 for necessary body camera upgrades. The Milton Police Department will be receiving $628,000 to enhance the crime prevention, detection and response capabilities and to increase transparency and safety through technological and equipment upgrades. The City of St. Albans will receive $123,000 to provide critical technology upgrades to local law enforcement agencies.
