Today is the last day for Perry Police Chief Eric Vaughn as he is retiring after serving 30 years in law enforcement, and discusses the relationships he’s formed with the community.

Vaughn shares that he’s come to love Perry ever since moving to the area in 1997. He highlights the small town aspect and how that has led to creating several bonds with an array of individuals. Vaughn expresses that he’s gotten the opportunities to really get to know people in the community, and loves the amount of diversity within Perry.

“(They) brought new ideas to me, and brought new culture that I’ve never experienced before, and getting to know some of those people whether they be from El Salvador (or) Guatemala, all parts of this country, all over the world, Africa, Asia, everything, it’s just really neat to see that and be able to learn from those people. That’s just been incredible to me.”

Vaughn notes that the close knit aspect that Perry possesses has allowed him to become friends with residents, however it can pose a challenge when he deals with domestic violence cases, house fires, or other tragic occurrences. Vaughn is stepping down as chief, and retiring after 30 years in law enforcement, and 27 years with the Perry Police Department. Jim Archer will officially take over as the new Perry Police Chief tomorrow.

Vaughn began his law enforcement career in Denison, Iowa in 1994 prior to moving to Perry in 1997. He came to an agreement to become Perry’s next Police Chief in 2014, after being the assistant chief from 2006-2014, and a patrol officer before that.