Perry Police Chief Eric Vaughn has had a lot on his plate since taking over the department last month.  Though calls for service were down in February, the department is currently down to only 75 percent of their normal personnel level so the nine current officers are putting in extra hours, along with help from part time police.

Now that Vaughn has hired three people to fill the open positions he hopes to soon be able to work toward his overall goals for the department.  One of which being continuing education for the officers.

“One of the things I really want to do is get our officers more training.  In the past couple of years our budget has been kind of cut a little bit so part of our training budget has been eliminated.  I really think that’s one of those areas we need to get back to.  It keeps our officers fresh, it keeps them motivated and it keeps them happy.  It keeps them excited about what they’re doing.  It brings new ideas to their shifts that they’re working, it brings ideas to other officers and to the department and the city as a whole” says Vaughn.

Vaughn says he also hopes to help get the officers out more in the community, getting to know residents.  Especially those who work the late hours and might not always have the chance to meet with citizens during normal business hours.