New Deal Resources in Holly River State Park Historic District · Photo: Aparkswv · CC BY-SA 4.0Who polices Pickens, and what they report
Pickens has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Randolph County. The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for Pickens alone, and no Safety Grade.
What stands out about safety in Pickens
Policed by the county
Pickens is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for Pickens. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest West Virginia towns with their own police figures are Buckhannon (B−, 23 mi), Weston (B+, 30 mi), Philippi (B, 35 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from Pickens. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office reports
Crimes reported to the FBI for the whole area the department covers, by year.
Reports to the FBI for the parts of Randolph County without police of their own, which include Pickens.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office
Counts, not rates: the FBI doesn’t publish how many people each agency covers. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Tables 10–11.
The nearest West Virginia towns with a Safety Grade
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckhannon | B− | 23 mi | 1.8 | 12.0 |
| Weston | B+ | 30 mi | 1.4 | 7.5 |
| Philippi | B | 35 mi | 2.4 | 6.4 |
| Summersville | C+ | 42 mi | 1.4 | 17.3 |
| Clarksburg | C− | 43 mi | 3.3 | 25.1 |
| Bridgeport | B− | 45 mi | 1.2 | 13.8 |
Straight-line distance from the center of Pickens. Nearby towns can differ a lot from Pickens.
Pickens and its neighbors
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- A county agency covers a wide area. Its totals mix many communities, so they say little about any one of them.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in Pickens
Is Pickens, WV safe?
There is no Safety Grade for Pickens. Pickens has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Randolph County. The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for Pickens alone, and no Safety Grade. The nearest West Virginia towns with a grade are Buckhannon (B−, 23 mi), Weston (B+, 30 mi), Philippi (B, 35 mi).
Who polices Pickens?
The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office. Pickens is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of Randolph County without police of their own.
Heads-up board
Neighbors looking out for each other in Pickens.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.