Morgan County Sheriff Johnnie Walter
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Newly sworn in Morgan County Sheriff Johnnie Walter is looking to the future of the department even as he reflected on his career so far in law enforcement. After more than seven years as Chief Deputy in the county,
He has decades of experience in law enforcement:
As to what drew him to Morgan County — he says it’s home.
The department answered 7,337 calls in 2024. Walter said if there is one big change he could make, it would be to boost salaries so he could fill positions.
Right now he is down two deputies. He says he has to pay overtime to cover shifts when deputies are out and it’s hard to compete with surrounding jurisdictions.
Walter says even though the Morgan County Commission gave the department a ten-thousand dollar hiring bonus for each employee, it’s hard to recruit when the pay scale is lower than any jurisdiction around.
He says the starting salary was just increased from $41,000 a year to $42,000 a year, with an $10,000 signing bonus over three years.
Sheriff Johnnie Walter was a guest on Thursday’s Panhandle Live, heard weekday mornings at 9:05 on the Panhandle News Network.
