(The Center Square) – The City of Spokane’s nationwide search for a new police chief is complete, with the Thursday morning announcement that Tucson, Ariz., Assistant Police Chief Kevin Hall will begin his work as the city’s new chief sometime prior to Sept. 1, according to a city news release.
Hall started with the Tucson Police Department more than 30 years ago and became assistant chief in 2016. He will succeed Spokane Police Department Interim Chief Justin Lundgren.
“I intend to bring a passion for collaboration, innovation, data-driven strategies, and value-based policing to Spokane that will propel the agency into a regional, if not national, public safety leader,” Hall wrote in a news release. “This will require increased participation from the community as co-producers of public safety, which I am committed to facilitating and fostering.”
The appointment marks the third time since the November election that put Mayor Lisa Brown in power that a chief from the police and fire departments has left the city. SPD Spokesperson Julie Humphreys confirmed to The Center Square that Lundgren had accepted a job with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and would transfer in the coming months.
"I have been very blessed to have been a member of the Spokane Police Department over the last 27 years," Lundgren wrote in a statement to The Center Square. " ... I didn’t apply for the permanent Chief position and knew this would be an important but temporary assignment. I was extremely fortunate to be offered an opportunity by Sheriff [John] Nowels to continue to serve the Spokane community with another exceptional agency."
Mark Gregory, who serves as the public information officer for the Sheriff's Office, confirmed that Lundgren will start as an inspector with the county on August 26.
“From public feedback to department personnel, it was clear our community wants a leader who demonstrates character, integrity, and accountability, brings best practices to the department, and is dedicated to the safety of everyone in our community,” Brown wrote in a news release announcing Hall's hiring. “Chief Hall is that leader and I am grateful that he has agreed to serve in this role.”
Still, the first chief to leave following Brown’s election was Former SPD Chief Craig Meidl, who announced his retirement in the weeks following; however, shortly after, Meidl rescinded his retirement and took a job as the interim chief of the Richland Police Department.
Former Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer also stepped down following the election despite serving with the Spokane Fire Department for almost 20 years; in his place is Fire Chief Julie O’Berg, whom Brown named interim after Schaffer’s announcement but appointed as permanent chief in April.
The City of Columbia, Missouri, announced Thursday morning that Schaeffer will become its next fire chief in August.
Spokane noted that Hall will take over as police chief in the coming months. There’s no official start date yet, but the city indicated that Hall is expected to start before Sept. 1.
In conjunction with the new role, Hall will receive a salary that surpasses that of Brown, the city’s highest-paid publicly elected official. According to a job posting from an executive search firm that the city partnered with, Hall could receive anywhere from $201,868 to $247,804.
For comparison, Brown currently makes just under $180,000 a year. However, under her recently approved salary increases, just months after she assumed her role as mayor, that’s set to increase to $186,400 by 2026.
While Spokane is Washington’s second most populous city, Seattle, being the most populated, pays its chief just under $350,000 annually, according to internal payroll documents.
"Kevin Hall is an accomplished law enforcement leader who brings decades of experience and extensive professional education," Lundgren continued in his statement. "He will be joining an excellent team of men and women at the SPD who work every day to provide exceptional policing to the community. I look forward to helping Chief Hall during this transition."
