Kevin Hall to start work as Spokane’s police chief on Aug. 26

The Spokane City Council gave its backing on Monday to Mayor Lisa Brown’s choice to serve as the city’s next police chief.

Kevin Hall, assistant police chief in Tucson, Arizona, was unanimously approved as Spokane’s next chief by the council, a last formal step before he takes charge of the department on Monday, Aug. 26.

“We know all too well that the challenges to public safety in this city are immense,” Councilman Paul Dillon said Monday. “We don’t want to put too much pressure on Kevin Hall, but we know that change can take time and look forward to him getting in the community and changing the way that we work with community around public safety.”

Hall is a 32-year employee of the Tucson Police Department, serving as the commander for the Field Services Division with additional experience with various other department units, such as home invasion, homicide, SWAT, gangs, internal affairs and child abuse.

Hall was among four finalists for the city’s new chief, all of whom participated in a community forum in late June. He will be making $247,804 a year, city spokesperson Erin Hut said, the same as former police Chief Craig Meidl.

Hall will replace interim police Chief Justin Lundgren, who is leaving the police department after 27 years for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office to assume a position as the unincorporated patrol division commander.

Lundgren led the department since the beginning of the year, following Meidl’s resignation announced in November.

Hall’s selection to permanently lead the department was announced more than a month ago, though his nomination had to be approved by the city council.

Anwar Peace, chair of the Spokane Human Rights Commission, praised the selection process Monday and said he hoped Hall would be able to assuage some community concerns about the local police department. Peace highlighted the department’s relatively high rate of police shootings, claimed the department has not sufficiently protected its own employees from sexual harassment, and argued the department shows “no empathy towards our homeless neighbors while doing street sweeps.”

“(Hall) really impressed me in various interviews,” Peace told council members Monday evening. “He has been credited for his innovative approaches to community-based violent crime reduction, alternative staff and response models, as well as ethical budgeting …

“I’m looking forward to see how he plans on bringing that to Spokane.”