By Kyle Vass for Dragline.
Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service reporting for the ACLU of West Virginia-Public News Service Collaboration

Anthony Reese was walking down the street in Dunbar one day when a stranger began cursing at him out of nowhere. Confused, Reese began speaking with the man. “Don’t you know who I am?” he asked of Reese.

Reese told the man that he looked like a police officer for the city but wasn’t sure. Over the past few years, Reese had encountered a number of Dunbar Police: a couple of (dismissed) domestic charges, an eviction, a trespassing ticket. But out of uniform and standing in the parking lot of a tire shop, Officer Todd Hannah wasn’t immediately recognizable to Reese. 

According to Reese, Hannah identified himself and accused him of being a known criminal – someone he had been keeping an eye out for around town. The two men began to argue when Hannah said to him, “I’m going to see you back in jail and I’m going to knock your teeth out.” 

A few weeks later, Reese went to the Dunbar Police Department to report his run in with their officer. When Reese left the building, he saw Hannah – this time in uniform. And, according to the surveillance video that would later be submitted as evidence in a lawsuit against Dunbar, Hannah switched off his body camera, approached Reese and ordered him to put his hands behind his back.

Moments after handcuffing Reese, Hannah picked him up and slammed him to the ground. Then, six other officers joined Hannah, beating Reese for two minutes before arresting him, according to a complaint. While Hannah didn’t manage to knock Reese’s teeth out, he did put him in the hospital, his face bloodied and swollen from the beating. The lawsuit resulted in a settlement with a $2 million payout to Reese from the city. 

An internal investigation later revealed Hannah had violated department policies five times in his violent arrest of Reese. And while he lost his job with the department, he was never fired. In fact, public records obtained by Dragline from the West Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Program showed Hannah began working for the nearby town of Marmet while still under investigation over the incident in Dunbar.

According to the report from the Professional Standards Program, Hannah “resigned under investigation” from Dunbar Police on Sept. 9, 2023, where he began immediately working for the Marmet Police Department. The Town of Marmet hired Hannah on Aug. 22 - or 25 days before he left Dunbar in disgrace.

Because Hannah resigned under investigation, his certification was revoked. To get it back, he (and any officer in a similar situation) had to come before the Professional Standards Program’s subcommittee: a twelve-person panel (nine officers and three civilians) that reviews police certifications.

While many officers who come before this subcommittee do so for basic renewals or clerical reasons, every officer who leaves their department on bad terms is investigated. Departments may provisionally hire officer whose certifications have been deactivated over misconduct while they await a determination from the subcommittee. But officers without an active certification have to be supervised at all times by an officer in good standing with the committee.

While this review process has been around for decades, it’s only since August 2021 that the program has recorded narratives about departures. Since that time, 62 percent of all applicants have had their certificates reactivated. 

At the January 2024 subcommittee meeting, officers and a handful of attorneys entered a standalone building on the grounds of the West Virginia State Police Academy. About 40 people convened in a training classroom one program staffer referred to as “The Corral.”

The harsh office lighting and dropped ceilings of this room did little to lower tensions. Those gathered chose to pace the length of the classroom or line its painted cinder block walls while waiting on their turn in front of the subcommittee.

This reporter made his way from the Corral across the hall to observe the subcommittee but chose the wrong chair to sit in.

“You don’t want to sit there,” a uniformed subcommittee member said with a smile. “That’s the hot seat. That seat is for the people who have to come before the committee today.”

The open meeting portion of this day-long event only lasted about 15 minutes. After approving a few budget items, the group went into executive session. All of the officer reactivation hearings happen behind closed doors.

But the results of these subcommittee reviews and the evidence presented to them are public record. To bring these records to light, Dragline has compiled an interactive map of the Professional Standards reports since August 2021. The map includes details the program’s findings and the where these officers have transferred to and from. 

In addition to Todd Hannah, officers who have sat in the hot seat and come out the other end still a police officer include Craig Cross. Cross resigned under investigation from the Barbour County’s Sheriff’s Department for physically assaulting a subordinate at a K-9 training event in Ohio.

The report states that Cross – who was never charged with a crime despite the report saying he “violat[ed] several WV statutes" – began working for the Belington Police Department one week after resigning under investigation over the incident. Since then, Cross has changed departments again, and is now working for the Weston Police Department – his third department in under a year.

In 2017, Cross made headlines when he resigned as Chief of the Elkins Police Department amid controversy for issuing an internal memo advising officers to use violence on “cockroaches” or anyone they suspected of using drugs.

Also greenlit by the subcommittee: Michael Newcomb who resigned over “several policy violations including evidence missing from the evidence room” and Caden Tallman who “was involved in a domestic situation with his girlfriend on 4/3/2023 where he allegedly put a firearm to his head.” 

Tallman was hired by the Pleasants County Sheriff’s Department a little over a month after the gun incident. Newcomb was hired by the Romney Police Department 26 days before leaving his old department.

While the subcommittee has reactivated officers with serious allegations replete with evidence of wrongdoing, program director Jess Gundy said the subcommittee and program staff take their work seriously.

“We abide by the legislative rules and the state code to try and keep an eye on everything as well as we can,” Gundy said.

To the program’s credit, the subcommittee denied the recertification request of 14 officers since August 2021 – 38 percent of requests involving misconduct. Three of these officers even faced criminal prosecution over their misconduct. 

The other eleven officers who did something egregious enough to lose their job and fail a Professional Standards review still got to bypass the same criminal justice system they once represented. 

One such case was former Berkeley County Sheriff’s Deputy Deven Morris who “resigned in lieu of termination” stemming from an investigation into allegations that he sexually assaulted a minor.

The subcommittee report for Morris referenced an investigation done by the West Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Program.

“The internal investigation also revealed there was enough evidence to suggest that Devin [sic] Morris did violate WV Code 61-8A-2 regarding the distribution of obscene matter to a minor and WV Code 61-3C-14b regarding the solicitation of a minor via computer.” 

The report also said that Morris “also failed a polygraph examination when questioned about aspects of the investigation.” 

While the subcommittee denied Morris’s application for recertification, no criminal charges were ever filed against him.

According to the report: “The Morgan County Prosecutor [Dan James] declined to prosecute Devin Morris due to conflicting statements made by the 15-year-old victim in regards to whether the two had engaged in a sexual relationship.”

When reached for comment, James said one of the reasons his office didn’t prosecute Morris “was based upon conflicting statements” made by the child. When asked for more information, James said, “I will not elaborate on the other factors.”

Records obtained by Dragline from the State Police investigation show the child’s story remained consistent across multiple interviews with Sgt. See, the State Police investigator assigned to the case. 

Missing from the prosecutor’s response and Professional Standards report was the relationship between Morris and the child’s parents. Sgt. See reported, “[The child] advised that she has known Deven Morris since she was about nine years old and he is related to her stepfather.”

The State Police report stated that the child’s mother contacted State Police and attempted to call off the investigation, telling authorities it was a “misunderstanding” and that her child wanted to recant the allegation against Morris – her husband’s relative. 

But, according to Sgt. See’s report, the child “advised that was not the case” and “maintain[ed] the original statement she made back in July 2020.” Sgt. See’s reporting concluded with her gathering evidence from the child’s phone about her claims and scheduling a meeting with Morgan County Prosecuting Attorney Dan James.

When reached for comment, James said he had deleted all records of the State Police investigation from his email. When Dragline provided James with copies of the State Police investigative file, he declined to show where he believed the child made conflicting statements.

While the case of Deven Morris was the most troubling narrative in the Professional Standards reports, the documents had no shortage of disturbing accounts of police misconduct in the state, especially among officers who failed to achieve reactivation.

Other officers whose applications were denied included Andre C. Cosby who was allowed to resign from the Grafton Police Department “in lieu of termination” over an incident where an investigation found he was “in violation of [W. Va. State Code] 61-8-30 that deals with photographing a deceased body with his cell phone and forwarding it to his girlfriend.” 

Simply being listed on it could result in officers’ testimony in current future criminal trials being considered unreliable.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia Rachel Kincaid told Dragline the publication of this dataset alone could have major implications for any case involving an officer listed. In particular, appearing on this list could call into question the reliability of their testimony in court. 

“If the reason that they resigned, or they had to apply to recertify goes to their credibility or trustworthiness, then that's absolutely information that defense counsel would want to have at trial in order to call into question the overall truthfulness of their testimony,” Kincaid said.

Kincaid, who now teaches constitutional criminal procedure at Baylor University, said, “The vast majority of criminal trials involve testimony by a law enforcement officer,” adding that the reliability of that testimony is often key to achieving a guilty verdict. 

“Any history of lying, could be used by defense counsel to call into question the truthfulness of the officer's testimony. That testimony is often integral to being proven guilty at trial,” she said. 

When prosecutors have information that shows a history of unreliability from an officer (or any evidence that tends to show the person isn’t guilty) they are required to give that to the defense. This evidence is usually referred to as Brady material — named after 1963 US Supreme Court Case that established this right.

In most states, this requirement for prosecutors to hand over Brady material only exists in the rare instance that a criminal case goes to trial (less than one percent of criminal cases). But in West Virginia, this obligation extends to plea negotiations based on West Virginia Supreme Court precedence, Kincaid said.

That means prosecutors have to hand over Brady material (including an officer’s history of misconduct) before criminal cases go to trial.

To ensure prosecutors are informed of these officers’ past actions, Dragline has sent this dataset to the West Virginia Prosecuting Attorneys Institute with a request that they share it with all prosecutors in the state. Dragline and the ACLU of West Virginia plan to work with the Public Defender’s Corp. of West Virginia to train defense counsel on how to use this information effectively.

The issue that can’t be assuaged with exculpatory evidence however is the trauma that haunts victims of police violence. Despite successfully suing and getting his attacker removed from a police department, Anthony Reese still has to live in fear of running into a uniformed and heavily armed Todd Hannah in nearby Marmet — a hotbed for disgraced police officers.

According to records from the Professional Standards program, Marmet (population 1,447) took in the most officers who were previously let go for misconduct. In under five years, the town has hired four officers who left their previous jobs over misconduct.

Multiple requests for comment to Marmet Police Chief John Perrine went unanswered.

It wasn’t until being interviewed for this story that Reese learned Hannah had been hired by Marmet. Reese said that’s one more place he’ll have to avoid.

“Thank you for telling me that,” he said. “Now, I don’t go to Dunbar and I don’t go to Marmet.”


Kyle Vass wrote this article for Dragline.


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Mississippi's pilot work-release program for incarcerated individuals has been extended to three years.

The program allows qualified participants to gain job skills and earn money while serving their sentence.

Wil Ervin, senior vice president of the advocacy group Empower Mississippi, said the existing law has a pilot work-release program operated by the Mississippi Department of Corrections at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility. It is limited to only 25 participants, but the expansion of Senate Bill 2445 will include more state and regional correctional facilities.

"Obviously, we recognize the importance of an individual having a job both while they're in prison and when they get out," Ervin pointed out. "Having a job is one of the biggest predictors of recidivism for individuals once they're released from prison."

Ervin noted during the legislative session, his organization worked with the bill's author, Sen. Juan Barnett, D-Heidelberg, and House Corrections Chairperson Becky Curry to expand the program.

They decided to expand this program statewide at the end of the session whenever the conference report from the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review was released.

He added the working wage participants will receive is higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

"The PEER report that was released last year shows that average wages were $13.35 an hour," Ervin explained. "Under the new bill, 15% goes back to administration of the program; 25% goes towards child support fines, fees, restitution, court costs."

Ervin added 50% goes into a savings account, which will be made available to the individual when they are released. He pointed out another 10% can be used for commissary and incidental expenses while they are in prison.


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Alabama has a goal to reduce recidivism by 50% by 2030 but a recent report from the Prison Fellowship warned state-level barriers to critical needs may hinder progress.

Every year, thousands of men and women are released from state prisons and jails. However, despite repaying their debt to society, they encounter roadblocks to successful reintegration. The so-called "collateral consequences" affect their access to housing, education and more.

Kate Trammell, vice president of legal and advocacy for the Prison Fellowship, emphasized the need to address obstacles to empower returning citizens to build better lives.

"One of the first things that policymakers or voters should be thinking about, about their neighbors with a criminal record, is how can we help ensure that they aren't prevented from accessing safe, affordable housing?" Trammell urged. "A second thing is, how can we ensure that they aren't prevented from accessing meaningful jobs?"

Barriers exist on local, state and federal levels and their wide reach restricts access to assistance programs such as SNAP. In Alabama alone, advocates said there are 824 barriers impeding an individual's journey toward a second chance.

About 37% of state-level obstacles are related to job licensing and can play a role in keeping people from finding jobs with advancement potential. Trammell highlighted the significance of employment in securing a stable future and underscores how addressing reentry cannot only benefit individuals but communities as well.

"Research shows that just having a stable job by itself can have a deterrent effect on future criminal behavior," Trammell pointed out. "That's really significant if we're thinking about how to make sure our neighborhoods are safe and strong."

At the state level, work is underway to improve the state's reentry plan. Fifteen agencies have created a plan to support Alabama's reentry strategy by simplifying the process of getting state IDs, improving access to behavioral health and addiction treatment and increasing participation in job training.

The Prison Fellowship reports about 70 million Americans with criminal records face systematic barriers to second-chance opportunities.


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Advocates said continuing parole is vital for Mississippi's families, businesses and communities.

Senate Bill 2448 keeps the current parole law in place for another three years. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, 27,000 Mississippians are behind bars.

Alesha Judkins, Mississippi state director of criminal justice reform for the group FWD.us, emphasized parole is a safe and effective way to reunite people with their families and strengthen Mississippi's economy. She added data show parole is successful, with 98% of released individuals not returning to prison within two years.

"Parole can help address the state's workforce shortages," Judkins pointed out. "What we know is that Mississippi still has one of the lowest labor force participation rates in the country. People having the opportunity to return home means there are more people available for the many job opportunities that are available, but go unfilled."

Judkins added state economist J. Corey Miller estimated as of December of last year, there were about 30,000 more job openings than people being hired.

Judkins explained fully implementing parole would help improve the imprisonment rate by allowing people to earn their way home sooner and reducing the prison population safely. She added individuals who receive parole may participate in programming, which helps reduce recidivism.

"One of the great things about parole being expanded even three years ago was that it gave more people the opportunity to participate in rehabilitative programming," Judkins noted. "Which is often limited to people with shorter sentences or those who have access to early release."

Judkins added there is overwhelming evidence reducing incarceration improves public safety. Forty-five states have simultaneously reduced their imprisonment and crime rates. Crime declined two times as fast in those states as in the five states where imprisonment rates increased.


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