On Wednesday night, at his second police chief forum, Craig Meidl said his Christian faith has made him a better leader.
Earlier this month Meidl accepted Mayor David Condon’s appointment to police chief after the mayor scrapped the two other candidates chosen by an outside consulting firm. The forums are a way for the community to ask questions of Meidl.
When asked about religious intolerance in Spokane, Meidl said the Spokane Police Department is partnering with organizations assisting immigrants — particularly Muslims. He said it’s important for immigrants to know that the Spokane police are there to protect and help them.
He touched on his own beliefs by saying he respects the separation of Church and state, but said that doesn’t mean civil servants can’t have faith.
“I acknowledge I have a very strong faith. I acknowledge there has to be a separation between what I believe and what I’m expected to do as public official as well. The two though aren’t mutually exclusive,” he said.
Meidl said practicing Christianity has made him “more humble, more compassionate and more willing to serve every single person regardless of if they’re a 10-time convicted felon, or if they’re a police officer…”
All people, he said, are sacred.
“Your faith can be a very strong component of who you are and how you govern and how you treat people,” he added.
City Council Member Mike Fagan said Spokane’s next police chief needs to reach out to “faith leaders of all faiths” and work with them to rebuild trust between the police department and the community. He also said the community, in return, needs to return trust to the Spokane Police Department.
At the forum Wednesday night many questions and comments came up about the 2006 killing of Otto Zehm.
In 2011 a jury convicted Spokane Police Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. of needlessly beating Zehm and then lying about it. Zehm died two days later. After Thompson’s conviction Meidl saluted his fellow officer, which he has taken heat for since his appointment to police chief. He has since apologize to the Zehm family, and to the Spokane community.
Fagan said Spokane now needs to practice forgiveness.
“We need to forgive. We don’t have to forget, but we are called to forgive,” he said. “It’s so so negative to personal growth and personal health…”
Keith Jones, who attended the forum and asked two questions of Meidl, echoed Fagan’s thoughts on forgiveness.
“In order to reap a harvest, we’ve got to bury a few hatchets,” he said. “As members of the faith community, where does forgiveness come in?”
He said he believes Meidl will become Spokane’s next police chief and has hopes for what that leadership will look like. He said Spokane’s next chief needs to be in tune with the city’s growing social, economic, political, racial and gender diversity. The next police chief needs to be fair, firm and consistent, Jones said. And, he added, he wants a police department that values everyone’s opinion — right or wrong, so all citizens feel a sense of value.
The City Council has said they would consider confirming Meidl after hearing input from the community.They plan to consider his appointment at the scheduled meeting Aug. 22.
