Huntington's crime rate far surpasses the national average, but its police force falls just below average for other cities its size.

On a state level, Huntington lags far behind Charleston. The two cities have similar crime rates and their populations are separated by less than 2,000 people. However, the capital city has a police force more than twice the size of Huntington's Police Department.

According to the latest FBI statistics, Charleston had 183 sworn police officers and 28 civilians in 2006. Huntington had 86 officers and six civilians. That means Charleston had 3.57 officers per 1,000 residents, in comparison to Huntington with 1.75.

Marshall University released a report in 2006 that compared Huntington with nine other similar-sized cities outside West Virginia. Those cities were Altoona, Chester and Wilkes-Barre in Pennsylvania; Danville and Blacksburg in Virginia; Bowling Green, Ky.; Lima, Ohio; Pine Bluff, Ark.; and Terre Haute, Ind.

According to the latest FBI statistics, Huntington ranked fourth in population among the nine cities, but it ranked second in property crimes, fourth in violent crimes and eighth in the number of officers per 1,000 residents.

Despite the low ranking and the drastic contrast to Charleston, Huntington's rate per 1,000 is not far off the national average for other cities its size.

The FBI statistics indicate cities with 25,000 to 99,999 had 1.8 officers per 1,000 residents. Huntington will surpass that benchmark later this year, when taking into account the 1.8 average, current military leave vacancies, the budgeted addition of six officers and the city's declining population.

Huntington Police Chief Skip Holbrook said that statistic is a generic number that is not accurate for many cities, including Huntington. He said the number fluctuates depending upon the demographics of each city.

"Comparing us to a city in the middle of Iowa at 50,000, is apples and oranges. I would argue with you all day on that," he said. "It's frustrating as an administrator when somebody can just read that 1.8 number and say 'We're fine.' Well, we couldn't be farther from being fine."

Community policing expert David Hayeslip said the FBI statistics represent a tool used for comparative purposes.

Hayeslip, who works for the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., said there is no magic formula for determining the number of police officers a community needs. He believes it depends upon several factors, including each community's expectations, its willingness to report crime and budgetary constraints.

"Services are a function of what the community wants," he said. "It is very difficult to compare department to department, even with a similar-size population or staffing because the problems are different. The communities are different, the expectations are different, the nature of crime is different and the expectations from the local political environment vary as well."

Proponents of a bigger police force also argue the FBI statistics do not account for the number of people driving into the city for work each day. In 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau calculated that 39,108 nonresidents work in Huntington. That means more than 88,000 people live or work in the city.

Holbrook believes the presence of Marshall University increases the city's population by at least 10,000.

Dr. Jeff Leaberry is part of a group raising money for the Huntington Police Department. He said the medical profession estimates the population it serves exceeds 400,000. He also said the Census figures do not include out-of-towners traveling to Huntington to buy or sell illegal drugs.

Law enforcement officials blame the out-of-town drug trade for increases in violent crime and property offenses.

Leaberry said it is overly simplistic to believe Huntington needs fewer officers because its population continues to decline.

"Many of these people who commit crime aren't bound by the city limits," he said. "Individuals that choose to engage in criminal activity are going to look at high-value targets. Those high-value targets continue to be in the city of Huntington."

Huntington, a city with 86,000 in 1950, has been on a constant decline ever since. But Holbrook said that decline should not lead people to believe the city needs fewer officers. He believes crime trends change over time and the city's business opportunities continue to grow thanks to growth in the medical industry, entertainment at Pullman Square and expansion at Marshall University. Those attract more people to Huntington, which demands more protection.

Comparing crime rates is not the answer for determining the number of police either, Hayeslip said. Extra officers will result in more people making more arrests, but Hayeslip said research shows changing the number of officers may not have a direct effect on the area's annual crime rate.

"They make a difference, but there is not a one-to-one correlation between crime and hiring a police officer," he said.

County-city, metro police departments are traditionally not a popular idea, Hayeslip said when asked if a merger could be a solution to the city's declining population and outward migration.

"I wouldn't say that is a particular trend," he said. "There is a longstanding view of policing in this country that views the police as a local entity. There is not a lot of desire in our culture to have regional or even larger kinds of police departments. People like to have their own police locally that they know and they can call."

Holbrook is familiar with law enforcement mergers, and he doesn't think the opportunity presents itself in Cabell County. He said the county's various law enforcement agencies do not duplicate each other's services. He also worries any merger would decrease service to other areas.