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Dr. Eric Plummer is currently the Chief of Police for Radford University, providing leadership for the Office of Emergency Management, the University Police Department (UPD), and the Emergency Medical Services unit (RUEMS). He also serves as a national critical incident management instructor for the National Emergency Response and Recovery Training Center (NERRTC) through Texas A&M University-TEEX and senior lecturer for the University of Virginia’s Master of Public Safety program.  Plummer has developed courses for FEMA, the state of Texas, and other institutions of higher education in the areas of critical incident response, risk management, target violence and terrorism prevention, and complex coordinated terrorist attack programs.

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 emergency management, safety, risk management & 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 was a co-chair of the large research institution section of the North Dakota University System response to the pandemic.

Plummer has also served as a Chief of Police for Southern Arkansas University and with the Florida Highway Patrol in numerous roles including state trooper, homicide detective, criminal and internal affairs investigator, and supervisor.  In his time in Florida, he served as an incident commander for tornado disaster areas and an agency representative in the Emergency Operations Center during numerous hurricane disasters.

Plummer’s contributions extend to various national and local task forces, and he is an active member of the IACLEA Board of Directors, a member of the Department of Homeland Security State and Local Intelligence Council, current board liaison and past chair of the Domestic Preparedness Committee, current general vice chair of IACP’s University/College Police Section, and a former member of the IACP Aviation Committee.  A U.S. Army Reserve veteran, he served as a combat signaler and later as an intelligence analyst.

Holding law enforcement certifications in Virginia, North Dakota, Florida, and Arkansas, Chief Plummer has also earned the designation Senior Chief of Police in Arkansas, Certified Law Enforcement Chief Executive Officer in Virginia, and Professional Emergency Manager (PEM) in Virginia.

Plummer holds a Ph.D. in public safety with a concentration in emergency management, a master’s degree in 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.