An event is happening Friday afternoon to commend the longtime Perry Police Chief Eric Vaughn for his decades of service.

A Retirement Open House is being held at the Carnegie Library Museum, 1123 Willis Avenue, in Perry from 2-5pm this Friday for Vaughn. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that he started in law enforcement as an officer in Denison, Iowa in 1994, then moved to Perry in 1997. Vaughn has loved working alongside many officers throughout his 30 years in law enforcement.

“It’s been really good just training officers in the way that I envision police officers doing. Not only going out there, and writing a ticket and arresting bad guys, but going out there and helping the community and being apart of the community too, and getting an understanding of maybe what’s good for the community, what they need for us to try to help provide that in services and how we handle people really.”

Vaughn was a patrol officer and in the canine department prior to being promoted to Assistant Police Chief in 2006, and then announced as Police Chief in 2014. Current Assistant Police Chief Jim Archer is set to take over the position as Chief, and Vaughn believes he’s the right man for the job.

“Jim is just one of those officers, he’s really level headed. He’s really involved in the community, always has been, (and) knows a lot of people in that community, which I really think is going to help him in his new job, and has had some leadership opportunities, but I think it’s really going to be a blessing to have somebody here that knows this community, knows this department, and I think it’s really going to be beneficial to us all.”

Vaughn also thanked his family who has stood by him over the past three decades of service. The public is welcome to stop by the Carnegie Library Museum Friday from 2-5pm to wish Vaughn well into retirement.