Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall Resigns Effective At End Of The Year, Cites 'Series Of Unimaginable Events'

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -  Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax has accepted Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall's letter of resignation.

City Manager Broadnax has alerted members of the Dallas City Council and Chief Hall has notified her Command Staff.

Chief Hall, 49, has been Dallas Police Chief since September 2017.

She arrived from Detroit where she had served as Deputy Police Chief.

Her tenure in Dallas has been plagued by a rising rate of violent crime.

Dallas City Council member and Mayor Eric Johnson have recently been critical of Hall's leadership during the George Floyd protests earlier this summer, which included police arresting hundreds of people who'd marched onto a city bridge, only to drop charges against nearly all of them.

In August, the Dallas Police Department issued a report that found it struggled with operational plans, communication and maintaining a centralized command structure during days of protests.

Upon learning about the chief's resignation, Dallas Police Association President Mike Mata said, "I think it was necessary.  We've had double-digit increases in crime. The murder is at where it was last year if not greater. And the debacles we've had time and time again, a lack of leadership, a lack of decision-making."

Mata added, "We needed a more dynamic, more experienced chief that could build morale better than she did and had crime-fighting abilities that were stronger than hers."

But the Black Police Association of Dallas said a lot of criticism was unwarranted.

President Terrance Hopkins calls hall a progressive chief who moved the department forward.

In Chief Hall's letter to Broadnax, Chief said, "These past three years have been saturated with a series of unimaginable events that Individually and collectively have never happened In the City of Dallas. I am proud that this department has not only coped with an unthinkable series of events, but we have also managed to Implement critical reforms that were clearly needed for the Dallas Police Department to meet our 21° Century Policing goals."

Chief Hall said she is keeping her next career move confidential for now.

She was Dallas's first woman police chief.

Read Chief Hall's resignation letter

Broadnax later released the following statement on Chief Hall's resignation:

Tuesday, Chief Reneé Hall informed me she will resign her position as Dallas Police Chief on November 10, 2020. I spoke to Chief Hall this afternoon and asked her to remain in this key position until the end of 2020. She has agreed to do so. That will enable us to complete the short-term goals of the R.E.A.L. Change initiative. I am extremely grateful to Chief Hall for extending her time in Dallas. This year has been tumultuous and uncertain. A few more months of her leadership are key for several projects and for a seamless transition within the police department.

In her three years of service, Chief Hall has provided consistent, passionate, resilient and robust leadership to our City. She has implemented a host of reforms that will assist our department as we move forward. I believe Chief Hall has succeeded in placing DPD on a path of true 21st Century Policing, and our next chief must have that same stout commitment to excellence.

Since the Chief has agreed to stay through the fourth quarter, we have time to develop the search criteria for a new chief. I will be announcing that process when it is finalized.

I hope you will join me in wishing our police chief the very best in her next endeavor. She will be a tremendous asset to any entity looking for solid leadership and management skills accompanied by an obligation and commitment to excellence in safety, security or law enforcement.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson issued the following statement on Chief Hall's resignation:

"I want to thank Chief Hall for her service to the City of Dallas. I had not spoken to the chief about her decision, but I was not terribly surprised by it considering the recent public statements of my City Council colleagues.

"I know that people who commit themselves to careers as police officers face immense challenges and must be willing to make tremendous sacrifices. We demand much from them and especially from our police leaders -- and rightfully so because the stakes are incredibly high.

"On top of those demands, Chief Hall had the burden and the distinction of being the first woman -- a woman of color, no less -- to serve as the police chief in Dallas. That was not lost on me. I wish her the best in her career and in her life moving forward.

"I believe the Dallas City Council now must continue to support public safety in our communities. We cannot exclusively rely on law enforcement to reduce crime, but we absolutely need new policing strategies and fresh eyes that can help us reverse the unfortunate and unacceptable increases in violent crime in our city. We need strong and experienced police leadership that instills a culture of community policing, crime-fighting, and accountability.

"While the city manager searches for a new police chief, it is our job as policymakers to provide police commanders with the tools they need to be successful and to make Dallas the safest big city in the country."

The Dallas Police Department shared a post outlining Chief Hall's leadership successes in crime reduction, procedures and general order reforms, technology improvements, recruitment and retention, officer advancement, organizational effectiveness, and community partnerships.

"Chief Hall refuses to boast or take credit for her leadership actions," said Jon Fortune, Dallas' Assistant City Manager of Public Safety. "I hate to see her go, and am hopeful she will continue with the same grit and resolve to get things done, improving residents' safety and changing the current image many have about policing."

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