CONWAY -- The University of Central Arkansas board of trustees on Friday approved the appointment of John Merguie as the interim campus police chief.
Merguie, 49, took over the job after longtime Police Chief Larry James, 66, retired in mid-January.
Merguie, the UCA Police Department's longest-serving officer, began his career at the university in July 1991. His first law-enforcement job was at the Newport Police Department in northeast Arkansas.
Merguie, who formerly was deputy chief, will make an annual salary of $85,000.
James, who was honored by the board Friday, started at UCA on Aug. 1, 1993. He also was an associate vice president at UCA and was making $102,755 annually at the time of his retirement.
In an emailed statement, UCA Chief of Staff Kelley Erstine said the university's "plan is to keep interim Police Chief John Merguie in the position until at least the end of the fiscal year. During that time, we will determine the proper procedure to find a permanent replacement for Chief James."
The UCA Police Department has 28 full-time police officers.
UCA has almost 12,000 students and 1,500 employees in addition to campus visitors who attend educational, cultural, sports and other events.
State Desk on 02/11/2017