WELLSBURG — At Friday’s Brooke County Commission meeting, the Brooke County Sheriff’s Department requested a portion of funds awarded to the county from a series of statewide lawsuits against the makers and sellers of pharmaceutical opioids to purchase law enforcement equipment.

The commission said it received $1,130,329 between December 2023 and September of this year through three disbursements from settlements reached by the state Attorney General’s Office from the lawsuits.

The West Virginia Legislature established the West Virginia First Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization to disburse $1 billion secured through the settlements.

County Commissioner Stacey Wise said she’s learned that other counties have established a committee to accept applications for the funds and use a scoring system to recommend recipients to the county commission.

She said “a lot of reporting requirements” are tied to the funds’ use.

Wise said county commissions had been told the focus for the settlement money would be on drug addiction treatment and the commission wanted to see whether the foundation would pursue a regional treatment center to which the commission might contribute.

“As a county, that’s why we hadn’t taken any action,” said Wise.

Capt. Kyler Ferguson of the Brooke County Sheriff’s Department said a memorandum of understanding issued in connection with the funds allows a portion to be used by law enforcement agencies.

He suggested funds could be used to purchase 15 drug testing kits, to enable officers to determine the type of drug that has been seized, for $522; 10 digital license plate readers that could be placed near entrances to the county to aid officers in identifying suspects’ vehicles, at a cost of $30,000 per year; body cameras and dash cameras to record officers’ actions and protect them against false accusations, for up to $248,000; and a Lenco Bearcat armored vehicle to protect the department’s Special Response Team against gunshots, at a cost of $307,390.

Ferguson said officials in Weirton and Wheeling have used the funds to purchase the license plate readers along the Veterans Memorial Bridge and highways in Ohio County.

He said sheriff’s deputies have issued body cameras in the past, but not all of them work, and there is a dash camera for only one cruiser.

“The majority of things I have on this list are desperate needs for this office,” said Ferguson.

Christina White, the county’s emergency 911 director, supported the request, saying, “If we don’t hit it on the streets and get to them first, they won’t make it to treatment.”

“They don’t make it to court, they don’t get to treatment if they’re not saved on the street,” she said.

Brooke County Prosecutor Allison Cowden said there is a drug addiction treatment center in the county and she’s not aware of any offenders ordered to undergo treatment being turned away.

Wise said people have told her they’ve had difficulty getting treatment for a loved one.

She questioned why the sheriff’s department hasn’t brought the need for equipment to the commission until now.

Commission President A.J. Thomas said, “I would like to see if the county can fund some of these requests with general funds.”

“We have $1.3 million. That’s not going to last long,” he said, adding the commission would be faced with replacing the equipment in the future and should adopt a plan for doing so.

Thomas said he doesn’t deny the need for at least some of the equipment.

“I think there should be dash cameras on every county vehicle,” he said.

County Commissioner Tom Diserio said, as a former law enforcement officer, he wants to help ensure the county’s officers return home safely each day.

Noting U.S. Route 22 has been called the Heroin Highway because of its access to drug suppliers in larger cities, he said, “If we can stop the flow of illegal substances from entering the area, we will free up space at treatment centers.”

“The money we spend in Brooke County will have a regional effect. Because of the money we spend on stopping drugs from coming in and sending drug dealers to jail,” said Diserio.

Upon further questioning from the commissioners, Ferguson said the list of desired equipment could be reduced, with priorities placed on certain things.

He suggested that county departments and agencies that may receive funding have input in any scoring process that may be employed.

White was among officials who expressed concern use of the funds could be delayed by the process.

“We struggle to get any committee together,” she said, noting volunteers can be difficult to find.

Cowden said, “We need this equipment now. Those cameras are an integral piece of equipment that can help us now.”

County Clerk Kimberly Barbetta agreed to advertise for bids for 18 body cameras and 18 dash cameras, with their purchase to be determined by the commission.

Thomas asked Ferguson for an estimated cost for the equipment for one year.

The commission tabled the creation of an advisory committee for the settlement funds’ use, pending more information from other counties.