Wash. Mayor Can Now Hire, Fire Command Staff

Top Spokane (Wash.) Police Department administrators can now be removed by Mayor David Condon, after the City Council granted him broad new powers on Monday.

The City Council narrowly approved a plan that created six new departments within the agency, allowing the mayor to appoint a director and assistant director for each department.

The move comes as a result of Police Chief Frank Straub's proposed reorganization of the force and the recent report from the Use of Force Commission arguing that the Police Department needs "a change in culture," reports The Spokesman-Review .