COLUMBIA, SC — Ruben Santiago was named interim chief for the Columbia Police Department, city of Columbia officials announced Monday.

Santiago, who was hired in 2010 as deputy dhief of police operations, was sworn in Monday morning.

Santiago fills the vacancy left by Chief Randy Scott, who on Saturday announced his retirement, effective Tuesday, ahead of changes to the state retirement policy.

Under the new policy, police and firefighters who retire after Jan. 2 will see a cap on the amount of benefits they can receive if they go back to work and earn more than $10,000 a year.

Scott, 44, hopes to be rehired as police chief within a couple of weeks, saying last week he is “committed to Columbia” and loves his job. State law requires those who retire to wait 15 days before reapplying for their old jobs.

Scott is one more public official to retire because of changes to the state’s retirement plan. Odds are high that City Manager Steve Gantt will rehire Scott as soon as he is eligible on Jan. 16. Already, Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins has retired and been rehired.

Contributing: Staff reporter Noelle Phillips