Wendell Flinchum

Wendell Flinchum is chief of the Virginia Tech Police department, a nationally accredited law enforcement organization.cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-04-17-second-crisis_N.htm|title=2nd crisis in year for police chief|last=Moore|first=Martha T. |date=4/17/2007 |work=USA Today|accessdate=2008-06-21] He is a native of Blacksburg and has spent his entire career with the Virginia Tech police beginning part-time in 1983 while a student at Virginia Tech. He's worked as a safety escort, a dispatcher, a patrol officer and a detective. He joined the department full time in 1985. He also trained at the FBI National Academy. Flinchum was named chief over 90 candidates.cite news|publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/17/flinchum.profile/index.html|title=Virginia Tech police chief praised for calm leadership|last=April 17, 2007 |date=April 17, 2007 |accessdate=2008-06-21] cite news|url=http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/cram/feature/wb/wb/xp-96761|title=Tech police chief studying up on his job|work=Roanoke Times|accessdate=2008-06-21]

Flinchum and the Virginia Tech Police were tested when William Charles Morva escaped police custody on August 20, 2006 and was rumored to be on the Virginia Tech Campus. On April 16, 2007, only a few months later, Flinchum was back in front of media cameras explaining his department's actions following shootings on campus.

Flinchum was criticized for not immediately canceling classes and warning students more quickly about the shooting deaths. The Virginia Tech Police treated the first 2 shootings as domestic incidents based on the evidence at the time. Other police departments have defended the response saying "a sprawling college campus cannot be locked down the way a high school could". - Flinchum's actions and decision making was also supported by John Marshall, Virginia's secretary of public safety. Criticism of Flinchum and Virginia Tech President Charles Steger was quickly met by support of Steger by alumni, students and faculty. On the whole, those close to university felt that in retrospect, that while the incident could have been handled differently, blaming Flinchum and Steger was unfair.cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Apr25/0,4670,VirginiaTechPresident,00.html|title=Va. Tech Rallies Around School President|last=KAHN|first=CHRIS |date=April 25, 2007|work=Associated Press|publisher=Fox News|accessdate=2008-06-21]

ee also

*Virginia Tech Police
*Virginia Tech massacre
*Charles Steger
*William Charles Morva

References

External links

* [http://www.police.vt.edu/VTPDnew/CHIEF.htm From the Chief's Desk, on Virginia Tech Police website]
* [http://www.police.vt.edu Virginia Tech Police]