Dallas City Wire

Dallas Chief of Police Renee Hall – the first woman to hold that position – informed Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax of her intent to resign on Sept. 8., effective Nov. 10, 2020, after a 3-year tenure.

In her resignation letter, Hall wrote, “I am extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity you gave me to serve the residents of Dallas. We have accomplished so much by standing together in support of community policing and changes in the way our officers perform their duties in 2020. It has not been easy.”

She continued, saying that the past three years had 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 21st Century Policing goals.”

Broadnax asked Hall to remain in her position until the end of 2020, and she agreed.

“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,” Broadnax wrote in a letter to the community.

The process and search criteria to find a new police chief will be announced when they are finalized, said Broadnax.

Hall’s tenure has not been without controversy.

In her first six months on the job, she reorganized the department, demoting multiple long-time chiefs, disbanding the vice unit after finding concerning irregularities, and spending time out of uniform after struggling to find the time to study for her Texas certification to work as an officer, according to a D Magazine article published in May 2018.

Hall came to Dallas from hometown Detroit, where she had been a deputy chief and her family still lived.

While in Dallas, reports surfaced that she’d struggled to connect with Dallas department officers despite her popularity with the community.

During her tenure though, Hall led the department to reductions in crime and other achievements – a 5.7% decrease in overall crime in 2017, and 5.97% decrease in violent crime in 2018. This year, Hall developed a targeted Violent Crime Plan in 2020 with overall crime down 3.98%.

She also increased case closure rates, with the homicide closure rate for the department now exceeding 80 percent, more than 20% over the national average.