The Hutchinson Police Department has announced changes to how the department operates on a day-to-day basis.

In a posting on Facebook, the department says they are now assigning officers to individual beats in the city.  The community currently has six beats.

The department says with a fixed officer assigned to a beat, will allow neighbors to get to know the officer better, building a better relationship with the community.  It will also allow the officer to focus on issues specific to beat and address them over a the long term.

A new Repeat Offender Program has also been established.  The program consists of a detective and officers who work directly with prosecutors to address repeat criminal offenders in Hutchinson.

The department says the ROP team has already made its first arrest.  They executed a search warrant Tuesday at the home of a repeat offender who was suspected of selling methamphetamine.

He was taken into custody on multiple charges, that also included distributing drugs within 1,000 feet of a school.