Spokane City Council voted 5–2 to accept a $1,000,000 U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) COPS Hiring Program grant intended to fund eight officer full-time equivalents focused on open-air gun-violence reduction.

Chief Paul Hall told the council the grant funds a three-year, gun-violence reduction plan that would allocate five officers to place-based strategies, two to person-centered interventions and one to network disruption and social support. "This is for public space — open-air gun violence," Hall said, adding the award provides $1,000,000 over three years with a 25% local match and a $125,000 per-officer cap in the grant worksheet.

The vote followed more than two hours of public testimony in which dozens of residents and advocates urged the council to reject the award. Commenters faulted the timing and transparency of agenda materials, warned the grant’s language references compliance with presidential executive orders and said that could create conflicts with Washington state law and local ordinances. "When federal orders, state law and local values collide, I don't think a single one of you can honestly guarantee that accepting this grant does not open us to lawsuit or liability," public speaker Kaylee Jackman said.

Other speakers cited municipal budget impacts and life-cycle costs beyond the federal contribution — several witnesses cited figures of roughly $5 million or more in local spending over multiple years — and questioned whether accepting the grant would require local officers to collect or share immigration-related information. Chief Hall responded that the grant “does not require these officers to be 287(g) officers” and that enforcing immigration law would violate state law, Spokane municipal code and SPD policy. He said the city and legal staff reviewed grant conditions and that the Attorney General’s Office provided an opinion relied upon in the decision to apply.

Council members split along tactical lines. Several members said Spokane needs more officers and that federal dollars are ultimately taxpayer funds that should return to local communities. Others said fear of future executive orders and potential legal exposure counseled rejecting the award. Council president Wilkerson called the votes first on the grant ordinance, then on formal acceptance; both passed with a reported tally of 5 to 2.

The grant requires a local match (the council discussed a $250,000 local match figure tied to the 25% requirement) and an SBO (Supplemental Budget Ordinance) to adjust staffing and life-cycle costs. Chief Hall said the department could absorb positions if federal conditions later made the grant untenable and that vacancies historically allow absorption through attrition.

A number of public speakers, local service providers and advocates recommended directing resources to housing, mental-health and community-based violence-prevention programs instead of expanding police staffing. The council’s decision leaves in place the department’s immediate plan to recruit and hire officers under existing budgets while using the grant to offset some costs. The council did not take up additional policy changes tied to the grant during the session; next steps include finalizing SBO language and any reporting or contract details needed to receive the funds.

The vote came at the end of a special legislative session that also included adoption of amended boards-and-commissions appointments earlier in the meeting. The council adjourned after the measures were approved.