Last Thursday, Mayor Lisa Brown announced that, after nearly five months of searching, she has appointed Kevin Hall as Spokane's next police chief. Hall previously spent 32 years working in Tucson, Arizona, and most recently worked as assistant police chief. Hall was one of four finalists selected for the job as part of a nationwide search process. "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. Chief Hall is that leader," Brown said in a news release last week. During a community forum last month, Hall said he is an advocate for community-based policing, increased behavioral health services, transparency and a "customer service" approach to law enforcement. "Even now as an assistant chief in a very large city, my business cards have my cellphone on them," Hall said. "I want people to call me." Spokane's former police chief Craig Meidl served in the role for seven years and announced plans to retire shortly after Brown was elected mayor in November last year. (NATE SANFORD)
BACKUP PLAN
North Idaho College has made tons of progress since its accrediting body, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), placed the college under a show-cause sanction, essentially the last step before losing accreditation. NIC no longer has two presidents under contract, and the lawsuits against President Nick Swayne — including the Idaho Supreme Court appeal of his reinstatement to the position in March 2023 — were resolved in a 4-1 Board of Trustees vote. But the school's accreditation still hangs in the balance. In a July 2 special meeting, the trustees decided that if the college loses its credentials, they would start drafting potential agreements with other accredited colleges that could take over the administration of NIC, the Coeur d'Alene Press reports. Trustees recommended the College of Western Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College and the College of Southern Idaho as potential partners. The college's next NWCCU visit is scheduled for mid-October. (COLTON RASANEN)
MENTAL HEALTH
The Spokane County Sheriff's Office is looking to expand its employee mental health services by offering voluntary, confidential check-ins with the department's mental health consultant, Megan Stoffregen. The extra support would increase the department's monthly fee to $9,000 a month, up from $7,500, which is within the office's budget, Undersheriff Kevin Richey says. According to Stoffregen's written description to the Board of County Commissioners, "one of the primary goals of these check-ins is to target and weaken the enduring cultural stigma between law enforcement and mental health, as well as to strengthen relationships for meaningful access to trustworthy professional resources." Anyone in the agency would be able to schedule check-ins with Stoffregen during work hours to discuss stress, trauma or other mental health issues. Stoffregen has initiated check-in programs with police departments in Moses Lake, Ephrata, Quincy and Pasco, as well as the Washington State University Police Department and the Spokane Police Department's Major Crimes and Special Victims detectives. "I believe that her early interventions in a deputy's issues basically saved their career," Richey told the board at its July 9 briefing meeting. "That's priceless... It has helped, and it has worked." (ELIZA BILLINGHAM)
