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When duty called, University Police Sgt. Eddie Delgado answered with courage and compassion. His exceptional bravery and professionalism were recently recognized by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), which presented him with the national “Award for Valor, 2024” at its annual conference in Atlanta.
The prestigious award was given in connection with an event that unfolded on campus in November 2023. Delgado was dispatched to a residence hall just after 3 a.m. to investigate a disturbance of an unknown person kicking the door of a suite. While Delgado was investigating the call, the yet-to-be-identified armed suspect triggered the fire alarm system, forcing a full evacuation of the building.
Minutes later, responding officers heard what was believed to be gunfire coming from a short distance away on campus. Delgado readied his service weapon, and moved quickly in the direction of the gunfire to confront what he believed to be an active assailant. He issued clear and direct commands to the armed individual, de-escalating the situation, and then placed him under arrest. No members of the CNU community were injured.
Delgado responded to the moment with courage and compassion. Once he restrained the suspect, he immediately tended to the man’s injuries, applying a tourniquet to his wound—a move that likely saved his life.
“We are incredibly proud that Sgt. Delgado’s valor is being recognized nationally. When faced with a serious threat on our campus, he did more than neutralize the danger, he protected our community and administered aid to a wounded suspect,” said President William G. Kelly. “He exemplified the highest standard of courage, compassion and service when it mattered most, just as all of our officers do every day."
“On behalf of the CNU community and this department, we extend a debt of gratitude to Sgt. Delgado for his objectively reasonable actions, and his bravery,” said CNU Police Chief Dan Woloszynowski. “He exercised extraordinary leadership, tactics and valor by quickly and carefully locating and confronting the suspect. His investment in upholding CNUPD’s mission of ‘Building trust by caring for others through a heart-focused approach’ was on full display on November 28, 2023."
Delgado has served as a law enforcement officer for 26 years, 13 of them at Christopher Newport. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps, including 18 months in Afghanistan as a security advisor. Delgado says he is honored by the award, and thankful he had the opportunity to protect the campus community during a critical moment.
“I’m grateful for the positive outcome and overwhelmed by the recognition and accolades,” said Delgado. “ This has been a positive and uplifting experience.”
In addition to Delgado’s award, the conference featured a presentation given by Chief Woloszynowski and several federal law enforcement partners that outlined Christopher Newport’s structured approach to proactively preventing campus violence. The program, called Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM), is led by Woloszynowski, a certified master trainer in BTAM, along with a multi-disciplinary team of University leadership.
“The primary goal of CNU’s systematic, fact-based threat assessment and management process is to identify concerning, aberrant or threatening behavior, and implement a mitigation and management plan to prevent harm to self or others,” said Woloszynowski. “We employ a public health approach to violence prevention by applying buffers and stabilizers to individuals and situations to mitigate threats and prevent acts of violence. CNU strives to support the health, safety and well-being of the community.”
Secondary images in the story taken by Mike Ritter, 2025.