Police
About Police Department City Code / Ordinances Crime Watch Calendar Crime Map Crimestoppers Upper Ohio Valley Community Outreach Divisions & Units
Patrol Division Crash Reconstruction Unit Crisis Negotiations Team Drug Task Force Highway Safety Office Investigations K9 Unit Marine Patrol & Dive Team Mountain Bike Unit Office of Professional Standards School Resource Officers Police Training SWAT Victim Advocacy Program
False Alarm Reduction Program Most Wanted News Releases Police Employment Police FAQ Social Media Terms of Use Resources & Information Police Department Directory SUBMIT A CRIME TIP ONLINE CRIME REPORT CRASH REPORTS REGISTER SECURITY CAMERA
General Information
Staff Directory
Phone Numbers
304-234-3664
Emergencies: Dial 911
Location
WPD Headquarters
2115 Chapline Street
Wheeling,
WV
26003
Get Directions

Follow Us

Marine Patrol & Dive Team

Home
>
Departments
>
Police
>
Marine Patrol & Dive Team

Boat 2.jpg The Wheeling Police Department Marine Unit enables the Wheeling Police to patrol the 7 miles of the Ohio River that lie within the City of Wheeling’s jurisdiction. This Program is geared toward enforcing the Water Safety regulations of the State of West Virginia and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Officers of the WPD also receive training provided by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources. The course focuses on boater safety rules, enforcement priorities, tactical boating and boat operations.

The Marine Unit works in conjunction with the Dive Team in evidence recovery and maritime investigations. The boat has been used for Safety patrol duties at river front festivals and during holidays where boat traffic is a concern.

DIVE TEAM Dive Patch.jpg

The Wheeling Area Underwater Special Tactics Team was founded in 2012 and consists of a total of 25 members from the Wheeling Police Department, Wheeling Fire Department and the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office. The team is governed by an executive committee consisting of the Chiefs of each agency involved and the Ohio County EMA Director. The following are some of the functions that can be performed by the team:

  • Perform disaster related assistance when requested
  • Perform underwater search and recovery missions involving victims, evidence and other property
  • Investigate underwater crime scenes and all associated scenes in the immediate area to include scene evaluation, search, recovery of evidence
  • Investigate drowning and diving accidents, as well as boating accidents
  • Perform certain search and recovery missions for non-evidentiary property