St. Joseph Police Department Welcomes New Top Cop [AUDIO]

ST. JOSEPH -- Today (Thursday) is Joel Klein's first official day as the new top cop in St. Joseph. Klein replaces former Police Chief, Pete Jansky who announced his retirement earlier this year.

Klein began his career with the department in 2001 as a patrol officer. One of his major police cases was a homicide he was assigned to in 2006. He says he believes that experience has prepared him for his role as chief.

The department decided to do a slow transition back in April. Since then, Klein has worked side-by-side with Jansky to learn the basics of the job.

Klein says he's looking forward to his new role and heading the department.

Klein says he never thought he'd be in this leadership position. He liked Jansky's leadership style and decided that he didn't want to work under anyone else so he applied for the job.

He says his biggest challenge will be keeping up with paperwork and reports. Klein is looking forward to challenging himself and learning new things.