Eric Plummer

Chief of Police, Public Safety at Radford University
From Blacksburg

Dr. Eric Plummer is currently the Chief of Police for Radford University, providing leadership for the Office of Emergency Management and the University Police Department (UPD). He also serves as a national critical incident management instructor for the National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center (NERRTC), located at Texas A&M University-TEEX, and as a senior lecturer for the University of Virginia's Center for Public Safety and Justice Master of Public Safety program. Plummer came to Radford from the University of North Dakota, where he served as the Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police, providing leadership for the emergency management, safety, risk management, and insurance, as well as the University Police Department (UPD). At UND, Plummer created the Behavioral Intervention Team, established the Continuity of Operations Planning Program, and founded the Enterprise Risk Management Program and Committee, which provided yearly risk assessments to the executive cabinet. Plummer was also the emergency management coordinator for the university's response to COVID-19 and served as a co-chair of the large research institution section of the North Dakota University System's response to the pandemic. Plummer has also served as the Chief of Police for Southern Arkansas University, as well as with the Florida Highway Patrol in numerous roles, including state trooper, homicide detective, criminal and internal affairs investigator, and supervisor. During his time in Florida, he served as an incident commander for tornado disaster areas and as an agency representative in the Emergency Operations Center during numerous hurricane disasters. Plummer has served on numerous local and federal task forces and councils. He is a past member of the board of directors for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and served as the board liaison and past chair of IACLEA's Domestic Preparedness Committee. He also served as a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police Aviation Committee and currently serves as the General Chair for the University/College Police Section. Plummer holds law enforcement certifications in Virginia, North Dakota, Florida, and Arkansas, as well as earning the designation of senior chief of police within the state of Arkansas and the designations of Professional Emergency Manager (VaPEM) and Certified Law Enforcement Chief Executive Officer (VCLEE-CEO) in Virginia. Plummer holds a Ph.D. in Public Safety with a concentration in Emergency Management, a master's degree in Organizational Management, and a bachelor's degree in Sociology. He is a graduate of Harvard University's Executive Education Course in Crisis Leadership and the Southern Police Institute's 50th Command Officer Development Course through the University of Louisville.

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Interests + Expertise

Emergency Management Risk Management Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Leadership Law Enforcement

Education

University of Central Arkansas
University of Phoenix: Phoenix-Hohokam
University of Louisville
Capella University

Work Experience

Chief of Police at Radford University

March 2021 - Present

Adjunct Instructor at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service - TEEX

April 2014 - Present

Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police at University of North Dakota

October 2012 - March 2021

System Chief of Police at Southern Arkansas University

April 2007 - October 2012

Sergeant at Florida Highway Patrol

July 1999 - June 2007

Intelligence Analyst; Signal Support Systems Specialist at US Army Reserves

July 1993 - June 2006

Projects + Publications

Crisis Through the Door: How Bad Hires Break Good Agencies

March 2026 - Publications

Crisis at the Top: The Need for Authentic Transformational Leadership in Public Safety

June 2025 - Publications

Crisis at the Top: The Need for Authentic Transformational Leadership in Public Safety

IACLEA Conference - Atlanta, Georgia

June 2025 - Conferences

The hidden pitfalls of AI: Cognitive tunneling and leadership

March 2025 - Articles

Crisis Management Affecting Institutions of Higher Education: A Collaborative Community Approach (2nd Ed.)

January 2025 - Publications

Enterprise Risk Management: A collaborative community mitigation effort

June 2024 - Publications

Targeted violence terrorism prevention program (TTT)

March 2024 - Publications

Leadership expectations for chiefs

September 2023 - Articles

On-Scene Incident Management and Crisis Stabilization Affecting New York University

August 2022 - Publications

The Importance of Stakeholder Relationships in Crisis Management

Virginia Campus Safety and Violence Prevention Summit; Norfolk, Va.

June 2022 - Conferences

Enterprise Public Safety Model

Campus Law Enforcement Journal

February 2022 - Articles

Crisis Management Affecting Institutions of Higher Education: A Collaborative Community Approach

September 2021 - Publications

Managing Critical Incidents at Institutions of Higher Education: A Whole Community Approach

April 2016 - Publications

Eric in the News

UPDATE: All Clear announcement issued by RU - Patriot Publishing LLC

...g agencies including the Virginia State Police,” said Chief Eric Plummer of the Radford University Police Department. “The safety of ...

April, 17 2025 - Verified by Radford University

Planning, practice and partnerships key to universitys response to Helene

...y’s response to Helene by [Peter McCann, David E. Perryman, Eric Plummer and Justin Ward](mailto:deperryman@radford.edu) October 08, ...

October, 08 2024 - Verified by Radford University

Prank 911 callers face charges under new Virginia law

... obligation to respond to that particular call,” RUPD Chief Eric Plummer said. Prank callers can face more serious charges, like a cl...

July, 03 2023 - Verified by Radford University

Radford University students shaken up after report of sexual assault

...felt unsafe,” Charity said. Radford University Police Chief Eric Plummer says students shouldn’t have to feel like they’re at risk at...

April, 14 2023 - Verified by Radford University

State investigation of UVa shooting drastically different from Virginia Tech

...e out in the final product of an after-action review," said Eric Plummer, Chief of Police at Radford University, chair of the Domesti...

February, 19 2023 - Verified by Radford University

State investigation of UVa shooting differs from that of Virginia Tech

...e out in the final product of an after-action review," said Eric Plummer, Chief of Police at Radford University, chair of the Domesti...

February, 19 2023 - Verified by Radford University

The state of Michigan is weighing a security plan after the attack. Here are some options

... PA, but is a private school with just over 7,000 students. Eric Plummer, chief of police at Radford University in Virginia and a boa...

February, 17 2023 - Verified by Radford University

Michigan State weighs security plan after rampage. Here are some options

...hat is a school of just over 7,000 students and is private. Eric Plummer, police chief at Radford University in Virginia, and a board...

February, 17 2023 - Verified by Radford University

Michigan State has strived to be a leader in campus safety. Updates came too late

...larms, door alarms and other campus security features, said Eric Plummer, chief of police at Radford University in Virginia and a boa...

February, 17 2023 - Verified by Radford University

MSU sought to be leader in campus security. Upgrades came too late - BridgeDetroit

...ms, door alarms and other security elements on campus, said Eric Plummer, chief of police at Radford University in Virginia and a boa...

February, 16 2023 - Verified by Radford University

Michigan State sought to be leader in campus security. Upgrades came too late

...ms, door alarms and other security elements on campus, said Eric Plummer, chief of police at Radford University in Virginia and a boa...

February, 16 2023 - Verified by Radford University

Board of Visitors briefed on university initiatives in December meetings

...novation and Creativity. Radford University Chief of Police Eric Plummer gave the committee an overview of the department, explaining...

December, 13 2022 - Verified by Radford University

Back to Basics, But Thinking Out of The Box

...unted for as part of the investigation. ENGAGE Response Dr. Eric Plummer, chief of police at Radford University in Virginia, develope...

November, 23 2022 - Verified by Radford University

Highlanders in the News: Week of August 8

... the Radford community,” Radford University Chief of Police Eric Plummer, Ph.D., recently told Highlanders in the News. “It is also...

August, 12 2022 - Verified by Radford University

Highlanders in the News: Week of August 8

... the Radford community,” Radford University Chief of Police Eric Plummer, Ph.D., recently told Highlanders in the News. “It is also...

August, 12 2022 - Verified by Radford University Faculty

Louisiana college latest to use drones to improve campus security