Training
IN-SERVICE TRAINING
If you are a law enforcement officer or active military member in need of in-service training hours, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office is now hosting approved training classes. These courses are designed to meet in-service requirements while providing practical, up-to-date instruction. Only 20 seats will be available per class.
You can view available classes below or sign up directly through our booking site at https://kanawhasheriff.square.site
CLASS ROOM TRAINING & RENTAL
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office is committed to meeting, and often exceeding, the minimum standards for law enforcement officers set by the State of West Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Subcommittee. To ensure top-tier preparedness, Deputy Sheriffs and other agency members regularly attend training sessions led by nationally recognized instructors and organizations.
In addition to training its own personnel, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office hosts training for other agencies at “The Michael Y. Rutherford Training Center” located within our headquarters at 301 Virginia Street East Charleston, WV 25301.
The Training Center features a lecture room and a break room. The 48-seat lecture room is equipped with tiered seating, a Wi-Fi network, and advanced presentation technology. The facility is also available for use by other government agencies. For booking inquiries, please contact:
Lt. Adam Crawford 📞304-357-0560.
FIREARMS TRAINING & RANGE RENTAL
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office operates an outdoor firearms range at Camp Virgil Tate, which includes a 12-point pistol range, a rifle range, a reaction range, a modifiable shoot house, and a dedicated classroom building used for lectures, weapons training, defensive tactics, and other specialized training. For booking inquiries for utilizing our firing range, please contact:
Video Transcript
I’m Sergeant Hatfield with Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office. I’m a firearms instructor for the Sheriff’s Office and I’m currently out here at Camp Virgil Tate conducting our annual firearms qualification course and training. We do that three times a year. Two of those is required by the state of West Virginia for us to keep our certification as law enforcement officers. We do a daylight qualification and we do a low light qualification we do at nighttime. In addition to those qualification courses, we also conduct training out here. And as a firearms instructor, I’m in charge of ensuring that our guys are proficient with the skills needed to be a law enforcement officer in the state of West Virginia. It’s Corporal Jonathan Coleman. We’re here at the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office rifle range. We’re doing rifle training for the entire department this week. Some of the things we’re doing is a yearly qualification with our patrol rifles as well as marksmanship drills. We like to get our department members proficient and accurate with our weapons as they use them every day. And that’s one of the things that we incorporate in our training program is not only a standard qualification from 10 yards to 100 yards, but also some speed and accuracy drills addressing multiple targets. Shooters ready.
Lt. Jeremy Haynes 📞304-357-0200.
PHYSICAL TRAINING
The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office has a state-of-the-art workout facility and weight room. This investment in health and wellness reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring our personnel are physically prepared to meet the demands of the job while also promoting overall well-being.
The facility is equipped with a full range of modern fitness equipment, including free weights, resistance machines, cardio equipment, and functional training tools—designed to support a variety of training goals. Whether deputies are training for field readiness or focusing on long-term health, the space is tailored to meet their needs.
Access to the workout facility is restricted to sworn deputies of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, ensuring a secure and focused environment. This exclusive amenity reinforces the value we place on officer readiness, resilience, and morale.
Investing in our people means investing in the safety of our communities. The Sheriff’s Office remains dedicated to providing the resources our deputies need to stay sharp, strong, and ready to serve.