Eight members of the Virginia Tech Police Department are being recognized today for their efforts in saving a life this past summer.

On June 22, the department's dispatch center received a call from a woman whose husband lost consciousness while driving. The car veered off the roadway and came to rest against an embankment.

Officers dispatched to the scene could not find the vehicle. Communications officers in the dispatch center determined that the caller was confused and directed the police officers to the correct location. 

Once there, the police officers immediately began to administer CPR. Security officers arrived and controlled traffic allowing Virginia Tech Rescue to reach the scene and assist the patient.

Those receiving the Virginia Tech Police Department Life Saving Medal include:

  • Geof Allen, police officer
  • Rebeca Griffith, police officer
  • Derek Hutchison, police sergeant
  • Ashley McNew, communications officer
  • Teresa Pritts, communications officer
  • Beth Tynan-Bell, communications officer

Those receiving letters of commendation include:

  • Bryan Long, security officer
  • Eric McDearis, security officer

“The combined actions of the police, security, and communication officers helped save a life,” said Sherwood Wilson, vice president for administration. “Virginia Tech is thankful for the officers’ actions that day and for helping to protect us every day.”

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

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