Mike Ingram has been appointed interim Clovis police chief and will serve until a candidate is selected to fill the position, city officials said.

Veteran officer Mike Ingram was appointed Monday as the interim chief of the Clovis Police Department, according to a press release from the city.

His appointment will take effect Friday.

Police Chief Dan Blair’s last active day will be Thursday. He will take accumulated vacation time off until June 30, his official retirement date, City Manager Joe Thomas said.

Ingram has been with the department more than 25 years and is a 1997 graduate of the FBI Academy, the release said.

He will have the full authority of the position until a candidate is selected for the position, Thomas said.

In April, Blair, 43, announced his pending retirement. He will have served about 18 months as chief and 23 years with the department.

Blair has not been specific about why he retired.

Thomas said as of Friday he had received 17 applications for the chief’s position, a majority from out-of-state candidates.

Ingram’s application is among them, he said.

“There are some very interesting and what seem to be qualified applicants in the group,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he would like to have a selection made by July but admitted that might be too optimistic as each candidate has to be evaluated.