BLACKSBURG, Va., July 27, 2005 – The Virginia Tech Police Department, headed by Chief Debra C. Duncan, will receive both state and national first-place awards in the annual Chief’s Law Enforcement Challenge, which focuses on education and enforcement in the areas of driving under the influence of alcohol, occupant protection, and speed enforcement.
The Virginia Tech Police Department has undertaken numerous methods of promoting and enforcing seat-belt use, deterring impaired driving, and decreasing speeding on campus. Among the methods the department uses are selective enforcement checkpoints, safety lectures and presentations, printed-material distribution, and press releases. Also, in an effort to reduce drinking and driving and to increase seat-belt usage, the department participates in the Smart, Safe, and Sober program sponsored by the Virginia Alcohol and Beverage Control Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.
The department documents and compiles its efforts and submits them annually to The Chief’s Law Enforcement Challenge. The Virginia Tech Police Department will be honored with the first-place award at the state competition in Portsmouth, Va., in August. The Virginia Chief’s Association entered Virginia Tech’s first-place program in the national competition, and Duncan and her department will receive another first-place award at the national competition in Miami, in September.