Eric S. Plummer

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 NERRTC through Texas A&M University-TEEX and senior lecturer for the UVA’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. Plummer has also served as a Chief of Police for Southern Arkansas University and with the Florida Highway Patrol in numerous roles.

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, Plummer has also earned the designation Senior Chief of Police in Arkansas, CLECEO in Virginia, and VaPEM in Virginia.

Plummer holds a Ph.D. in public safety, 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.