Head of Va. Tech Inquiry Hopes for Valuable Lessons

Massengill soon encountered criticism for what some saw as his stubborn response to concerns over racial profiling.

African American lawmakers were furious that he was ignoring Virginia's history of racial discrimination after he wrote in the spring 2001 issue of Virginia Trooper Newsletter, "This department has never had a policy or practice known to single out citizens for traffic stops based on race, gender, age or other criteria," according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Massengill gained respect for improving the agency's crime-fighting and public relations capabilities during the tight budgets of the Gilmore years. He worked with federal officials to secure funding to outfit troopers with better weapons, bulletproof vests and vehicles.

"He has never stopped exploring new ways to do our job better," said Huggins, now director of the Virginia State Police Association. "He would read something about what some other state is doing and say, 'We need to do that here.' "

On Sept. 11, 2001, Massengill said, he was watching the news about the fires at the World Trade Center when an Arlington-based trooper called him to say he saw a low-flying airplane hit the Pentagon.

In the months that followed, Massengill led the effort to equip state troopers with radios that made it easier for them to communicate with one another and other first responders.

His efforts after Sept. 11 helped persuade Gov. Mark R. Warner (D), who was elected in November 2001, to keep him on as superintendent.

In fall 2002, Massengill led Virginia's efforts against the Washington area sniper. At one point during the manhunt, Massengill organized one of the largest police dragnets in Virginia history after a motorist in Spotsylvania County was shot and killed. Within minutes, more than 100 officers had erected roadblocks, tying up traffic for miles.

The snipers got away, prompting second-guessing. Massengill refused to be distracted by the media attention or questions about police tactics, according to others involved.

"We would go back to Massengill and he would just say, 'Here's why we did it, and here's why it was the right decision,' " said former attorney general Jerry W. Kilgore, adding that officials quickly concluded Massengill "knows what he is doing."

Massengill said that he dealt with concerns during the sniper investigation that were similar to those being expressed about whether Virginia Tech's police department was too hesitant in the nearly two hours between when Cho shot two people in a dorm room and his rampage on the other side of campus.

"I think we are going to find a lot of things were done the right way," he said.

Massengill retired in 2003, but Warner lured him out of retirement in May 2005 to head the scandal-plagued Virginia Department of Gaming and Inland Fisheries. Massengill is credited with boosting morale within the agency and tightening ethics policies before leaving in August.

Massengill hopes his latest call to public service will be his last.

"I'm looking forward to getting back into retirement," said Massengill, who lives on Lake Chesdin, near Petersburg.