Spokane Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is becoming more independent, but a new contract recently negotiated with the City of Spokane Police Department will enable us to continue our community outreach and neighborhood crime prevention programs and services.

More than 200 Spokane COPS volunteers annually log over 33,000 hours maintaining a variety of crime prevention programs (see spokanecops.org). The four staff members are new Director Patrick Striker, and a program manager, office manager and grant-funded crime victim advocate.

Ten neighborhood COPS shops are strategically located in neighborhoods by virtue of location availability, number of volunteers and degree of criminal activity.

COPS was created in response to the Oct. 20, 1991, abduction and murder of 11-year-old Iryll “Nicki” Wood and 12-year-old Rebecca West from the West Central area. This tragedy aroused the neighborhood to fight crime and make life safer for its residents. Citizens formed Spokane’s first volunteer-operated COPS shop.

A generous local businessman, Bob Lipe donated a vacant storefront on West Boone Avenue, where COPS shop volunteers from the neighborhood manned a front desk. Spokane Police Neighborhood Resource Officers (currently NCOs) were hand-picked and assigned to the shop to help neighbors identify crime problems and other, noncrime, issues. Eventually, community corrections officers became partners in the shops.

Since 1992, Spokane citizens have continued to organize and support the COPS programs that educate and train volunteers to identify and solve neighborhood problems, which are crucial to ensuring a satisfactory quality of life in Spokane. Programs like BlockWatch, BusinessWatch, and Night Out Against Crime are examples.

The shop at the Newtech Skills Center in Hillyard is run by criminal justice students.

COPS has very strong partnerships with the Spokane police, Washington State Department Of Corrections, City of Spokane, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, S.C.O.P.E. (modeled after COPS), Spokane Public Schools and other regional high schools, Community Colleges of Spokane and Gonzaga University, to name a few.

The COPS board of directors consists of six community representatives. Additionally, representatives of the mayor’s office and city council are included by contract. There is also a command staff liaison officer from the police department.

Spokane COPS has been hailed by visiting law enforcement executives as a premier example of the community policing philosophy. Law enforcement community engagement and partnerships with stakeholders to solve problems provide an opportunity to collaborate on a host of issues once thought to be the purview of the police alone.

Although Spokane COPS has undertaken a modified role in the community, our mission, values and purpose have not changed. We are now considered an independent contractor with the city. COPS’ ability and determination to provide quality crime prevention strategies and programs has not been diminished. Our volunteers are solid and our most important asset. The City of Spokane recognizes that the passion of our volunteers is unparalleled.

The city and council recognize the value of our crime prevention programs, and expect us to be good partners with the police and other city and community entities to assure the best quality of life for Spokane residents.