Spokane police chief apologizes for officers wearing masks at protest

Spokane police Chief Kevin Hall on Monday acknowledged that it was a “mistake” for two plainclothes officers who attended a protest last week to wear masks, a violation of city policy.

“I just want to remind everybody, and I know this council knows this, is that we’re all human beings,” Hall said at a city council committee meeting. “The officers are human beings. Mistakes will be made. We will address those mistakes when they’re made.”

The officers joined more than 1,000 health care workers and protesters who marched from Riverfront Park to the Spokane County Courthouse to honor 37-year-old Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 26.

Hall referenced that march, saying “we had plainclothes officers in the demonstration wearing masks.

“They were seen, they were identified,” he told other city leaders. “… I’ll take full accountability for that “I didn’t know the officers were there. The incident commander didn’t know the officers were there. That communication gap is my responsibility, so I take that.”

He said the practice would not “happen again.”

In an email Monday night, Hall clarified that the two plainclothes officers were “inadvertently assigned to walk with a group of demonstrators” and that the officers donned masks “because of the cold …”

When members of the department’s “dialogue unit,” a uniformed group specifically trained to engage with protesters and organizers, were notified of the masked officers, they removed the plainclothes officers from the area, Hall said. The use of face masks by Spokane officers “showed disregard for real, current concerns about police officers covering their faces, especially during First Amendment-protected activity,” Hall wrote.

“The mistake was a failure by one chain of command to inform the event commander about the plainclothes officers,” Hall stated. “The commander would have refused their presence.”

Hall reiterated that he takes full responsibility for the error.

Department policy prohibits face coverings and masks, city officials clarified Monday. The department did not immediately respond to request for more information.

Several hundred protesters again marched on Saturday at B.A. Clark Park, but no police presence was observed.

“We made very clear to every single member of the police department, all 454 of them, what the expectations are when it comes to wearing face coverings, whether you’re going to be a part of the operational plan on a demonstration or a public protest or a First Amendment -protected activity,” Hall said.

Hall sent an email Friday to all officers to “clarify our expectations regarding face coverings and acknowledge that prior guidance on this issue was not communicated as clearly or consistently as it should have been.

“To be unequivocally clear: face coverings or masks of any kind are prohibited for on-duty Spokane Police Department personnel, regardless of assignment or duties,” except masks worn for “legitimate medical reasons …” or gas masks or respirators when “operationally required.” Spokane police wore gas masks at a June 11 protest before releasing smoke and pepper balls, for instance.

Any exceptions to this policy must be approved in advance and in writing, Hall added.

Alexander Knox, 27, a critical care nurse who organized the Wednesday march, said Monday that he was unaware that officers with masks had attended the rally until he was asked by a reporter.

“It is concerning,” Knox said. “We need more information. But that kind of response, that they felt was warranted, is a little concerning because most of the people who showed up were health care workers or nurses.”

In a statement, Mayor Lisa Brown noted that Hall acted quickly upon learning about the incident and reiterated that city law enforcement is barred from wearing masks.

“I support this policy, and the chief has clarified it with the department,” Brown said. “This is about community trust and given the concerns surrounding masked federal agents, our residents deserve to know who is policing them.”

Spokane City Council members said they were glad Hall took responsibility and addressed the policy violation.

“It was the right thing to disclose that it happened, and it was the right thing to deal with it promptly and ensure it’s not going to happen again,” Councilman Paul Dillon said in an interview. “That shows accountability to the public.”

“Of course, it would have been nice for that to not have happened,” Councilwoman Sarah Dixit said in an interview. “Especially in light of what’s been going on. I don’t know if there’s anyone in law enforcement unaware of what that would have communicated to community members.”

Councilwoman Kate Telis, who chairs the committee where Hall disclosed that this had taken place, said she hopes the community continues to speak out if other violations occur.

“I was not aware of the issue on Wednesday until today, so as much as possible, we need to know specifics of any potential violations people are seeing,” she said.

Knox said he organized the march over a couple days at the same time he was pulling night shifts at MultiCare Valley Hospital – a job very similar to Pretti’s. As part of that effort, Knox reached out to police officials ahead of time.

“It was discussed that they were going to be there in their blue shirts, helping coordinate safety and security,” Knox said. “A lot of people who came down don’t normally engage, or have not engaged in their First Amendment rights. I wanted to make sure of their safety and security.”

As a fellow nurse, Knox said he felt compelled to “stand with my colleagues to honor” Pretti.

“I was physically sickened by the unjustified death and killing of Alex Pretti at the hands of federal law enforcement officers,” he said. “I felt it necessary to stand with my colleagues to honor his memory. As health care workers, we have a duty to stand up when others are being hurt.”

He was rocked by the response.

“I had no idea of the large community response and the outpouring of love. I was very grateful,” he said. “It definitely turned into a very joyful event with people coming together.”

He later heard from Spokane police officials that nothing occurred that prompted them to intervene during the protest. But then he learned Monday about the officers wearing masks.

“I’m a little saddened to hear that that occurred,” he said.

Knox noted a bill being considered in the state Legislature that would ban officers from wearing masks in the future at events like the march on Wednesday.

“I would welcome more information about what these officers were doing, who directed them and what protocols exist to prevent this breakdown in the future,” Knox said.

Hall wrote Monday night that he understood the incident harmed public trust.

“Rebuilding trust requires honesty, accountability, and transparency, especially when we fail,” Hall said. “I am committed to that work and to learning from this mistake as we move forward together.”