VIDALIA — Most Vidalia citizens won’t have a reason to step inside the Vidalia Police Department this year, and so they won’t notice the changes going on inside.

But they will likely see a patrol car on the streets, and they might notice the new paint jobs — with black front and back fenders and white doors — on the cars.

“That’s just part of any change over with any elected official,” Police Chief Ronnie G. “Tapper” Hendricks said. “Chief Billy Hammers did it when he came in, and so am I.”

The changes inside the police station, however, may not be drastic but they are noticeable.

A paint crew is currently repainting the inside of the station white, covering the old blue and off-white paint that was made dingy in some places through several years of use and wear.

New vent covers have been put in place where previously there were none, and portions of the ceiling tile have been replaced.

“We had to have some of those ceiling tiles removed because we found spots of black mold in them,” Hendricks said.

Additional lighting has been added in places to brighten up the station.

“You wouldn’t believe it, but the morale has lifted in here,” Hendricks said.

The outside front of the station will eventually be repainted as well, and parking lot of the station was recently re-striped.

“We now have our first handicapped parking space in the front,” Hendricks said.

While some of the police cars have received new paint, six of them were parked.

“I cancelled the insurance on them, and so we’re saving money on them that way,” Hendricks said. “I turned the VIN numbers on them over to the city (Friday).”

In the future, Hendricks wants to have a grant written to help buy new equipment.

“Right now we are really crippled for equipment,” he said.

“We had to go out to Wal-Mart and buy walkie-talkies for our auxiliary officers.”

The Vidalia Police Department is located at 602 John Dale Drive.