Lt. Paul Hudson has been named interim chief of the Andalusia Police Department, Mayor Earl Johnson said today.

Lt. Paul Dean has been named interim assistant chief, and current Assistant Chief Mike Bowlan has been named Director of Operations of the Wilbur W. Williams Law Enforcement Training Center and Administrative Liaison for Police Affairs for the City of Andalusia.

“I, and the Andalusia City Council, have complete confidence in each of these officers and have high expectations with regard to their abilities,” Johnson said. “The citizens of the City of Andalusia deserve the absolute best with regard to standards in public safety and we are determined to maintain and to continue to improve personnel development in order to insure those standards. Additionally, it is our goal to insure not only that the Andalusia Police Department function harmoniously as a unit, but also that it works seamlessly with all law enforcement and public safety agencies from the federal to state to local levels.”

The chief’s job became open when Wilbur Williams, who had held the position for 13 years, retired.