The University of Iowa has appointed two interim co-directors of the UI Department of Public Safety after current director Scott Beckner announced he will retire in December.

Current chief of police Lucy Wiederholt and police captain Mark Bullock will take over Beckner’s role as co-directors on Dec. 1. 

Beckner, originally set to retire in June 2020, agreed to continue in his role as director throughout the fall semester because of COVID-19.

He announced in February that he would retire after 34 years of service in law enforcement, as previously reported by The Daily Iowan.

“Working with students has always been my favorite part of this job, and I’m happy we’ve been able to build student-centered programs that help us improve the safety of our campus community,” Beckner said in a statement in February. “This has been the pinnacle of my career. I enjoyed working with the officers of this department and the partners throughout the county. It’s been an honor to serve as a member of the public safety team at the University of Iowa.”

Beckner will retire on Dec. 31, and will assist Bullock and Wiederholt in their roles until then. 

According to an Iowa Now article on Sunday, the UI will conduct a national search for a new director of the UI Department of Public Safety beginning in spring 2021.