African-American Renee Hall Becomes 1st Female Police Chief in Dallas

Renee Hall has been appointed as the new chief of the Dallas Police Department. With her appointment, Hall becomes the first woman to lead the department in its 136-year history.

Before coming to Dallas, Hall spent more than two decades with the Detroit Police Department, where she rose to the position of deputy chief, according to NBCDFW.com.

Reacting to the news of her appointment, Hall said she hoped to forge closer ties between the police department and the people of Dallas:

I am honored to be chosen to lead the Dallas Police Department at this critical time in its history. I look forward to building on the successes of the past, preserving community trust, and ensuring the safety of our officers and the entire Dallas community.

In her time as deputy police chief in Detroit, Hall worked to achieve a double-digit reduction in violent crime rates with the city recording a 40-year low in homicides.

In his welcome remarks, Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax described Hall as a proven leader with a passion for public service.

“My belief is Renee Hall will be a dynamic chief and do great things in this community,” Broadnax said. “She’s going to have a great impact, not just on the police department, but the entire city.”

Hall’s appointment means women of color now hold the top three law enforcement positions in Dallas county. Hall joins Sheriff Lupe Valdez, the first openly gay Latina to be elected Dallas county sheriff, and District Attorney Faith Johnson, the first Black woman appointed to the position.

Hall’s appointment follows the departure of former Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown who abruptly announced his retirement a few months after five of his officers were ambushed and gunned down in downtown Dallas.

A graduate of Grambling State University, where she studied criminal justice, Hall later earned a Master’s degree in Security Administration and Intelligence Analysis from the University of Detroit Mercy.

She is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Hall, whose Father was a Detroit police officer murdered in the line of duty, says she hopes to find some closure in her new role, describing her appointment as finishing what her father started.

She is expected to begin work in Dallas on September 5th.