State Police to pay for arrests it makes until conviction or release

HB 3417 would require the West Virginia State Police to cover the cost of incarcerating individuals they arrest until those individuals are convicted of a crime or released. Currently, counties pay for the incarceration of people arrested by local law enforcement, but this bill shifts that financial responsibility to the state police for arrests they make. The bill amends state law to specify that when an inmate is arrested by the state police, the state police must pay the per diem cost for housing in a jail facility. This change would directly affect the state police budget and reduce counties' financial obligations for cases initiated by the state police.