A time of transition and change for the Carthage Police Department continued on Tuesday.

Police Chief-designate Greg Dagnan came to Carthage City Hall on Tuesday to sign a letter of intent to become the department's next police chief.

Dagnan's future second in command, Capt. Randee Kaiser was promoted to the position two weeks ago and is training under Lt. Barry Duncan, who has served as both chief and captain for the past five months.

Duncan said he's never seen this kind of change in top management all at once in his 31 years of service with CPD.

"This is definitely a unique time for us, but we've stayed pretty stable throughout," Duncan said. "I don't ever recall a time when we changed both the captain and the chief at the same time. We've changed one or the other before, but not both at the same time."

Duncan said the change is emblematic of a year in which the department saw eight commissioned officers leave and seven hired in their place.

Duncan said many of his veteran officers have spent much of their year training new patrol officers.

Dagnan signed his letter of intent in the office of Carthage Mayor Jim Woestman on Thursday. He has to complete a preemployment screening and testing process before he officially takes the job, and on Thursday, Dagnan said he was looking forward to completing the process.

"I'm very excited to get started," Dagnan said. "The city was very careful in the process of choosing a chief and I really wanted to be picked, so this couldn't have ended up any better for me. Carthage is an outstanding city and I can't wait to get started."

Woestman said one of the biggest selling points that prompted him to choose Dagnan was that the Missouri Southern professor is local.

"He has contacts," Woestman said. "He knows the sheriff's department, he knows all the police departments, he doesn't have to come in and learn where Webb City is, where Joplin is and where all these other places are. A lot of your police officers in the area went to school and learned from Greg and if they were looking to get a job and stay in the area, that could be an attractive way to recruit and retain officers.

"Besides, he really wanted the job."