Spokane City Council agrees to $25,000 contract to help find next police chief

The Spokane City Council unanimously approved spending $25,000 on Monday to hire a consulting firm to help in the search for a new police chief.

The firm, Strategic Government Resources, Inc., is from Keller, Texas, and was one of two firms that submitted a proposal for the work.

Heather Lowe, the city’s human resources director, asked the council to expedite the decision to keep with Mayor David Condon’s goal of hiring a new chief by July 1.

Councilwoman Karen Stratton told Lowe at the council meeting that she was “very concerned” that the hire deadline was too soon.

“I completely agree with you,” Lowe said, noting that the July deadline was “as aggressive as we could possibly be.”

Stratton also expressed concerns that a local candidate already has been chosen by Condon, but Lowe told her that “all candidates will go through the same process, whether internal or external.”

The public’s involvement in hiring a new chief has not yet been decided, Lowe said, but will be soon after the job is publicly posted.