The action by Virginia Tech police to storm a building as a gunman inside shot 30 people dead last year won the agency a Governor's Award for teamwork.

The awards, made annually to recognize notable work by state employees, also went to seven individuals yesterday.

Campus police were recognized for their teamwork with other law-enforcement and rescue agencies during Seung-Hui Cho's April 16, 2007, rampage and for bravery.

The commendation for the department reads: "Officers from the department entered Norris Hall that day while shots were still being fired. Officers chose to run toward the gunfire and an unknown risk without regard for their own safety. Many had no time to put on protective gear such as bulletproof vests."

Cho killed himself before officers reached him, ending a massacre that left 32 others dead.