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
