Opp Police Chief Mike McDonald said he wouldn’t be making any major changes at the police department, but said he did want to make the office more professional and conduct more educational classes for the community.

McDo-nald was named interim chief after former chief Nickey Carnley retired, and was then appointed chief at the Nov. 5 council meeting.

He previously served as assistant chief.

“We’re going to continue in the same direction that it is going,” he said. “I see no reason to change it. I am tweaking things.”

McDonald said he wants to try to create a more professional working environment.

“I’m very proud of the people working in this department,” he said. “I’m very proud of the support the people of Opp give.”

One thing McDonald has done is create a command staff or management team, which is composed of himself, Capt. Mark Kyser, Assistant Chief Kevin Chance and Capt. Jenkins Logan.

“They are helping me shape the direction,” he said. “They will make recommendation to help me make well-founded decisions.”

McDonald said he plans to include the team in the hiring process.

“Instead of me interviewing potential applicants, I’m going to let them be involved,” he said. “And let them make recommendations on who to hire.”

Additionally, McDonald said he wants to work on crime prevention and traffic safety to help the residents of Opp become safer.

“We have to do the best job we can to protect our people first and their property second,” he said. “I also want to conduct a firearm safety class, and work closely with other law enforcement agencies here. We have a good working relationship with them.”