Spokane City Council Votes on Department of Justice Grant

Spokane City Council Votes on Department of Justice Grant

Lisa Gardner, City Council Communications Director, [email protected]

Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 3:33 p.m.

During a special legislative session on Thursday, January 15, 2026, Council voted 5-2 to approve Department of Justice (DOJ) grant funds applied for by Spokane Police Department (SPD) to support crucial hiring needs for additional law enforcement officers to increase SPD's community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts for their Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program.

"As a previous sponsor of resolutions supporting the Keep Washington Working Act, I stand with our immigrant neighbors and refuse to let SPD become an arm of ICE's illegal attempts to strike fear in us," said Council Member Zack Zappone. "We cannot capitulate to the will of an out-of-control Federal executive who thinks he can bully our community into complying with his cruel and unconstitutional actions. I trust our staff and Chief Hall when they say that accepting the DOJ COPS grant will not change their policies and practices, keep us within the Keep Washington Working Act, and protect our community. These are our tax dollars and should be used to help us locally; they do not belong to the President. We will be ready to stand up for our community in court if necessary."

This $1,000,000 grant with a 25% local match will allow SPD to hire 8 new officers to focus on gun violence prevention and community policing strategies. During the special legislative session, Chief Kevin Hall confirmed that accepting the grant does not require compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents or any other federal enforcement operations.

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