Local man to head state police Bureau of Criminal Investigation

Lt. Colonel Gary T. Settle, newly-appointed BCI Director.(Photo provided by Virginia State Police.)

RICHMOND – The Virginia State Police is starting the New Year with new leadership in its Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). The promotion results from the Feb. 1, 2017, retirement of current BCI Director, Lt. Colonel Rick A. Jenkins.

BCI is the investigative branch of the Virginia State Police and consists of seven field offices across the Commonwealth. Within each field office is a General Investigative Section (GIS) and a Drug Enforcement Section (DES). The bureau also consists of the High-Tech Crimes Division, Criminal Intelligence Division, Help Eliminate Auto Theft (H.E.A.T.) Unit, Insurance Fraud Unit, and Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Interdiction (CCI) Unit.

Colonel W. Steven Flaherty appointed Major Gary T. Settle, the BCI deputy director since July 2015, as the new Bureau director effective Jan. 25, 2017. Prior to being appointed to the Executive Staff, Settle served as the BCI Commander for the Culpeper Field Office. Settle began his law enforcement career in 1984 as a deputy with the Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office. He joined the state police in 1986 and was assigned to Frederick and Clarke counties as a new trooper. In 1996, he was elected sheriff in Rappahannock County and in 2000 returned to state police.

During his tenure with state police, Settle has served as a special agent, sergeant, first sergeant, field lieutenant, DES lieutenant and captain, while assigned to the state police Culpeper and Wytheville divisions. He was appointed to BCI captain of the Culpeper Field Office July 25, 2010. Settle earned a Master’s in Homeland Security and Defense from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration.

The Rappahannock County native also completed the University of Virginia National Criminal Justice Command College and the National Sheriff’s Institute Executive Management Program in Colorado.