On This Day in West Virginia History, March 31st

March 31, 2023

Mountaineer News

Vintage West Virginia

Colonel Jackson Arnold, first superintendent of the Department of Public Safety

On March 31, 1919, Governor John J. Cornwell signed legislation creating the Department of Public Safety, commonly known as the West Virginia State Police. Colonel Jackson Arnold of Weston was appointed the first superintendent.

Learn more: Legislation Creating the Department of Public Safety "New Superintendent of Police Body Here for the Organization" Letter From Superintendent Jackson Arnold to Sam Taylor (First Trooper) "'Mere Military Color': The State Police and Martial Law" West Virginia Department of Public Safety, Pay and Muster Rolls, 1919-1924 Document-Based Questions