Thomas L. Foster named deputy police chief
Thomas L. Foster of Roanoke, Va., former Virginia State Police area commander in the Bureau of Field Operations at the Bedford (Va.) Field Office, has been named deputy police chief at Virginia Tech.
In his new position, Foster will assist the chief of the Virginia Tech Police Department in providing leadership, strategic planning, and administrative direction for the campus police department. He will oversee the daily operations of the department, which provides vehicle patrol, bicycle patrol, foot patrol, traffic law enforcement, traffic crash investigations, criminal investigation, dignitary protection, and crowd control at campus events.
The Virginia Tech Police Department jurisdiction spans 2,600 acres and the department serves more than 27,000 students, 5,000 faculty and staff, and thousands of visitors each year.
In his pervious position, Foster supervised state police operations in Bedford and Franklin counties and coordinated police operations with local and federal law enforcement agencies. During his 19 year career with Virginia State Police, he has also served as assistance special agent in charge / first sergeant in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation; a public information officer assigned to the Office of the Superintendent of Sate Police; and investigative sergeant for the Bureau of Professional Standards, Internal Affairs Section.
In 2002, Foster received the Virginia State Police Superintendent’s Award of Merit, the second highest honor award by the Virginia Department of State Police. He was the creator of the state police’s “School Watch” Safety and Security Crime Prevention Program which was adopted as part Gov. James Gilmore’s “4-Safe-VA” School Safety Alliance.
Foster received two associate’s degrees from Virginia Western Community College, a bachelor’s degree from Mary Baldwin College, and a master of public administration degree from Virginia Tech. He also received two post-baccalaureate certificates — one from Virginia Tech and one from Virginia Commonwealth University.
