Post Falls names Mark Brantl permanent police chief after long search

Post Falls ended an eight-month stretch without a permanent police chief at the May 19 Post Falls City Council meeting, installing Mark Brantl as the department’s top leader and giving the city a full-time face for public safety as it works through staffing pressure and steady growth.

Mayor Randy Westlund put Brantl’s name forward, and the council approved the appointment before Brantl was sworn in immediately. City leaders and people in the audience rose for a standing ovation. Councilwoman Samantha Steigleder cast the lone no vote, saying her objection was to the process, not to Brantl himself.

The appointment closes a long gap that began when Chief Greg McLean’s retirement took effect Oct. 18, 2025, after 36 years with the Post Falls Police Department. The city initially said Capt. Jason Mealer would serve as interim chief while the search for a permanent leader moved ahead, but Brantl ended up carrying the department through that stretch and became known around the building as Step Chief.

Brantl told a Post Falls Chamber of Commerce Connect4Lunch crowd earlier the same day that he wanted the department to keep moving forward no matter how the council voted, with support, resources and teamwork at the center of the job rather than personal recognition. Chamber Board Chair Tavis Throm also used the event to note that residents have a lot to be proud of when it comes to first responders.

Brantl’s path to the chief’s office has been tightly tied to the region. He started in law enforcement in Great Falls, Montana, in 1995 as an animal control officer, later earned a law enforcement degree at North Idaho College, spent one summer as a marine deputy with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and was hired by Post Falls police in 1998 as a patrol officer. He rose through nearly every rank to captain before taking on the interim chief role. His annual salary as chief is listed at $170,000.

The permanent hire comes as Post Falls continues to wrestle with public safety staffing and the strain of growth. A 2024 report said the department had been short 13 officers at one point, about 30% of its sworn force. The City Council approved hourly wage increases of up to $6 in December 2023, bringing entry-level pay to $30.60 an hour. McLean had said he wanted the department to grow to 62 sworn officers to keep pace with the city’s population, which rose from about 33,000 in 2019 to 47,191.

Brantl now inherits the challenge of turning those hiring and pay changes into a steadier department. Over the next 6 to 12 months, the real test will be whether Post Falls can keep officers, protect response capacity and rebuild confidence after a prolonged stretch without permanent leadership.