Coeur d'Alene council set for key police chief vote, authority dispute continues

Coeur d’Alene’s next police chief vote is now a test of power, not just personnel. If the council cannot break its split, the city risks prolonging uncertainty at the top of a department with more than 100 employees, a budget of more than $21 million and a direct role in public safety leadership.

The council is set to take up the issue Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Coeur d’Alene City Library Community Room, where members will vote first on interim Police Chief Dave Hagar. If Hagar wins approval, the second candidate, Greg Yeager of Fort Collins Police Services, is off the table. If Hagar falls short, the council will move to Yeager, the choice backed by interim City Administrator Ron Jacobson.

That sequence matters because the fight has become as much about authority as about experience. Mayor Dan Gookin has argued that he holds the power to put a name forward, while Jacobson has acted under a resolution giving the interim city administrator authority to appoint a position like police chief, with council approval required. City administration materials say the administrator handles day-to-day operations and oversees city departments, while the mayor and council set policy, a split that has sharpened the dispute over who should drive the selection.

The city’s last vote on the chief post ended in a 3-3 deadlock on March 17, when the council rejected Yeager and Gookin declined to break the tie. That left Hagar in the interim role and pushed the decision to another meeting. The council had already narrowed the field to four finalists on February 27 after in-person interviews on March 12. The finalists were Jake Fisher of El Monte, former Spokane chief Craig Meidl, Yeager and Hagar.

Hagar’s candidacy carries strong local backing. Former chief Lee White endorsed him, and Councilmember Christie Wood, a retired Coeur d’Alene police sergeant, has also supported him, pointing to low crime and morale under his leadership. The Coeur d’Alene Police Officers Association is behind Hagar as well. Hagar joined the department in 2018 after working in Mesa, Arizona, where he had worked with White.

The political stakes are high because White’s retirement on January 14 ended 11 years leading the department and more than 30 years in law enforcement. City records say his tenure was marked by strengthened community policing, modernization and reduced crime. Jacobson said during the search that “Hiring the right Police Chief is one of the most significant decisions a City can make,” and the job posting underscored that weight with a salary range of $127,732 to $179,753 plus benefits.

The council has already shown it can divide sharply on executive appointments. It approved Jacobson as interim city administrator on February 4 by a 4-2 vote, then unanimously selected Jake Bieker as fire chief on March 18-19 after a lengthy meeting and executive session. The police vote now carries the same message in a more volatile setting: Coeur d’Alene must decide not only who leads its officers, but who gets to decide in the first place.