COPS nudged toward more independence

Spokane’s volunteer group Community Oriented Policing Services will move its headquarters out of the Public Safety Building this year, thanks to a city push to make the group more independent.

For 2015, the group’s proposed contract with the city calls for COPS to manage its own leases, computers, utilities and other business expenses – expenses the city used to cover.

“This brings them in line with how we operate our other nonprofit contracts,” city spokesman Brian Coddington said.

COPS operates 11 shops in the city, providing crime-prevention services and programs for residents, including taking reports of lost property and helping organize Block Watch groups.

Its funding became a point of contention during city budget negotiations at the end of last year. The mayor’s budget proposal included an independent COPS funded at $306,575 – less than the 2014 budget of $341,445.

“The mayor’s office wanted to make them independent and not fund them to do that,” City Council President Ben Stuckart said.

Council members added an extra $108,000 to help fund the transition in COPS’ final budget, which was approved 6-1 with Councilman Mike Fagan casting the dissenting vote.

Councilman Jon Snyder, who leads the Public Safety Committee, said he didn’t necessarily support the move to make COPS independent but was confident COPS would be able to maintain services with the extra funds added by the council.

“I would like to make sure they have the resources to improve and grow because they’re a great organization and they do great things in the city,” said Snyder.

Money added by the council will help COPS purchase the cars volunteers use from the police department and fund staff to help manage leases, Stuckart said.

Coddington said he didn’t have enough knowledge of COPS’ operational costs to speculate if the mayor’s proposal was enough funding to allow for a transition, but he said the mayor was satisfied with the final budget.

Mike Yates, COPS board president, said he expected the transition to be smooth.

“We were satisfied with what we were doing, but over a period of time things change, so we’re going along with the change,” he said.

Though the COPS board isn’t sure where the administration headquarters will move, Yates said the shift wouldn’t impact the work COPS volunteers do.

“The only difference in this is a certain amount of separation, physically, from the police department,” Yates said.

The contract was signed by Assistant Police Chief Rick Dobrow and Yates on Jan. 20 and is on the Monday agenda for the City Council. Stuckart said he expects it to be approved unanimously.