Jared Soares | The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum (left) with State Police Superintendent Steve Flaherty at a news conference on Wednesday.

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BLACKSBURG -- Virginia Tech's police chief has experienced 10 days like few in a position like his will ever know.

Wendell Flinchum's university -- the one where he attended classes in the 1980s before becoming part of its police department -- was targeted in a rampage that stopped the nation cold. Flinchum said he's dealing with it on a deep personal level.

In an interview with The Roanoke Times on Wednesday, he talked about sitting down with parents to tell them about the deaths of their children -- students Flinchum said he felt obligated to protect.

One of the hardest parts of the last week and a half, Flinchum said, was the night of April 16.

Students' parents and other family members had gathered at the Inn at Virginia Tech, where they awaited word on their children, hoping and praying that they weren't among the 32 dead.

"I made many notifications," telling parents and other family members that their loved ones hadn't survived Seung-Hui Cho's shooting spree, Flinchum said. "I'm not going to, but I could sit here and tell you every name that I did."

Flinchum, Blacksburg police Chief Kim Crannis and Virginia State Police Col. Steve Flaherty spent hours talking with family members. Flinchum said it was heart wrenching.

Said Flaherty: "In their mind they knew, but in their heart they wanted to hear a different outcome."

Another tough part of Flinchum's past 10 days was dealing with the criticism he received for his and university administrators' response to the early morning shootings.

Tech President Charles Steger and Flinchum took the brunt of criticism for a decision not to lock down campus after two people were shot just after 7 a.m. April 16 in West Ambler Johnston dormitory.

More than two hours later, Cho killed 30 more people in Norris Hall before killing himself.

Flinchum and Steger have stood by their decisions that day.

In the wake of the events of April 16, Flinchum said he and other officers have seen an overwhelming showing of community support.

"If there's one thing that's helped me through this, it's probably the support President Steger and I have received," Flinchum said Wednesday afternoon.

Flinchum has been a daily presence on Tech's campus since the shootings and, more than once, students have spotted him and lined up to hug him.

"I stood there and watched" as students, parents and Tech alumni waited for a chance to speak with Flinchum and shake his hand or hug him, Flaherty said. "It was very moving."

A petition in support of Steger and Flinchum -- at wesupportvt.com -- was started by Jesse Johnson, a Christiansburg resident who will be transferring to Tech next year from New River Community College, as well as Tech alumni. As of Wednesday evening, it had more than 34,000 signatures, with more than 17,000 identifying themselves as Tech students, parents, staff and alumni.

"The support the department and the university has received has just been unbelievable," said Flinchum, 45, who took over as chief in December.

The Tech police department is filled with cards and flowers. Flinchum has received thousands of e-mails.

Businesses, students and community members have gone out of their way to supply food at the several command posts that have been set up, actually helping the investigation move along more quickly, Flinchum said.

He and other officers from the Tech department as well as others that responded to Norris Hall on that dark day have been through a critical incident stress debriefing, Flinchum said.

"Their mental health and well-being is a priority for us," he said. Officers "saw some horrific, horrific things."

Flaherty said the debriefing, which is mandatory for many departments, is a chance for officers "to sit down and just sort of talk through what you saw."

Those efforts will continue, he said.

Law enforcement officers from across the state responded to help in any way they could after hearing about the shootings, Flinchum said.

"One great thing about this community ... other agencies were coming without being asked."