Dave Hagar should be city's next police chief

Let us state right up front we have nothing against Greg Yeager, deputy chief with the Fort Collins Police Services. From what we know, he is a fine man who would be a good chief with the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.  

We say this because Yeager is one of two men the Coeur d’Alene City Council will consider for the post on Tuesday, along with Dave Hagar, interim police chief with the department since Lee White's retirement earlier this year. 

The agenda for the meeting says this: “Mayor requests approval of his appointment of Dave Hagar to the position of Police Chief.” 

It also states this: “City Administrator requests approval of his appointment of Greg Yeager to the position of Police Chief.” 

Which raises the question, why is the city administrator asking the council to approve someone other than the mayor’s choice? 

Clearly, there is a divide among the council as to which man should be the city’s next police chief, which while understandable, is unfortunate. 

This became apparent in March when after debate, the council was split 3-3 on Yeager's nomination and Mayor Dan Gookin declined to break the tie. 

As we have previously said, Dave Hagar has been with the department more than a decade. He did an outstanding job as a captain with the department before taking on the interim police chief role. He has the support of the department. He knows Coeur d’Alene. He worked closely with White and was integral in creating a police force that is the No. 1 reason why this city has seen a dramatic decrease in crime. 

Today, Coeur d’Alene is one of the safest cities around thanks to the consistent presence of police officers who have done well in creating strong relationships with the community. 

Besides his experience here and his previous experience with the Mesa Police Department, Hagar has displayed a constant commitment to this city. He is responsive to the concerns of citizens. He is in the public eye and stands with police officers. For instance, when there was a small police contingent at the No Kings protest three weeks ago, Hagar was there. As interim chief, he did not have to be there but chose to join those under his command. That is a strong leader.

We think City Councilors Dan English and Christie Wood said it well at the March council meeting.

“If we didn’t have an internal candidate, Greg Yeager was my first choice. But we did have an internal — Dave Hagar. We know him and got to know new things about him through this process. I think Dave has earned this.” — Dan English 

"Dave Hagar has shown himself to be a stellar employee and has served the city well — he was a very strong candidate. I prefer to choose an internal candidate any chance we get. Dave has spent over a decade working on behalf of the city. I have complete confidence in him — he would’ve been my choice." — Christie Wood

We hope the rest of the City Council recognizes the value of having someone like Dave Hagar already leading the police department and gives him the well-deserved opportunity to continue doing so. This is not a small matter. The police chief plays a major role in Coeur d'Alene, which often seems to find itself in the public eye. It needs a calm, steady, experienced person to lead the department of more than 100. Dave Hagar is that person.

We think the choice is clear. There should not be a big debate here. It should not be a difficult choice. The City Council should approve Dave Hagar as Coeur d'Alene's police chief on Tuesday.