Suburbs

Sometime about two decades ago, a then-much-younger Richard Hall and I were talking about his recent appointment as Germantown police chief.

The conversation basically involved Hall’s age and how long he would have to be in the role before he could retire. At the time, it seemed like the distance between becoming chief and leaving the position was a long, long time.

Longer than most people could endure running a police department.

Last week, Richard Hall proved me wrong. He made it to the end of his tour, retiring as Germantown police chief after 21 years. Hall will soon take a position as the national director of a training company for officers and dispatchers.

In its release about the retirement, the city called the chief’s career “a long Hall,” and it was indeed.

When Hall took over, there wasn’t much stability in the department’s leadership. The previous two chiefs lasted less than two years each. Longevity in the position was based on former chief Bob Cochran’s 10 years in the position.

Two-plus decades seemed unreachable for the 39-year-old who moved into the role.

But Hall not only eclipsed Cochran tenure, but also was the longest-serving police chief in Shelby County. He seemed to balance the direction of the city with the political necessities of the job. Additionally, major crime was seemingly kept at bay.

Finally, the personality, coupled with the model-esque looks, tall, muscular stature and a disarming smile served him well in carrying the Germantown Police Department through the past 21 years.

Maintaining that low crime rate in the suburb also was a helpful factor.
I expect Mayor Mike Palazzolo will stay in-house to replace Hall.

Germantown seems to follow lines of succession in replacing department heads. And, actually, given the last 30-plus years, the best success in naming a police chief has come from the replacement already being in the Germantown force.

Of course, the bulk of that was Hall’s tenure. And while it is hard to imagine someone could hold the position for 20-plus years, I didn’t think when he was named chief that he would last until now.

It really was a good, long Hall. - Suburbs editor Clay Bailey

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