The new Springfield police chief is prioritizing the well-being of his staff.

Springfield alderpeople voted Tuesday to approve Assistant Police Chief, Joseph Behl, to be the new police chief for the Springfield Police Department.

He's been with the department for nearly 19 years. Next month he starts his new job as top cop. Behl said one of his goals is to get every officer involved in the conversation.

Behl said he wants to have an open-door policy for everyone in the department. He said feedback from his officers will provide a different perspective of what’s best for the community and their department.

He said he’s recently contacted the field operations unit and the criminal investigations unit, to share his vision for the department and to get their feedback.

“The thing is, I want to make sure this is an open-door policy up here and that the conversations are two ways,” Behl said. “It’s not just the command staff or the senior staff talking down to our officers and telling them what to do. I want feedback from them.”

Behl officially assumes his position in nine days. He said he’s ready to tackle any challenges that come with being the chief.

Another priority on his list is connecting with the community.