Mangan Hoping To Retain Community Policing Liaison

Police Chief Terry Mangan said he is looking for a way to keep community policing liaison Cheryl Steele on the job.

Mangan said Steele, the former COPS West president who was hired to be the liason between neighborhood COPS shops and the Police Department, has been an important ingredient in the success of neighborhood police substations. He would like to keep her in the job, possibly with a contract or other arrangement.

“She’s a real resource,” Mangan said. “She has a lot of unique abilities and has established an excellent track record at this point. We would not want to lose her at this stage.”

Steele helped organize the COPS West substation in the West Central neighborhood after two young girls were abducted from the street. One of the girls was found dead; the other is still missing.

The neighborhood support for the COPS West substation launched the citywide community policing effort. Since then, five other stations have been formed, including COPS Northeast, COPS Haven and COPS Northwest, in the Shadle Shopping Center. The NevadaLidgerwood neighborhood is expected to have its substation opened by summer.

The substations are operated by volunteers who elect their own leaders and administer programs.

Steele is credited by the North Side volunteers for keeping substation operations running smoothly. She holds monthly meetings and coordinates policies between the department and substations.

She was hired part-time by the Police Department in 1992.

The Spokane Civil Service Commission challenged the tenure of Steele and another Police Department employee, Linda Ingle. Both were designated as part-time temporary employees.

The commission is in charge of hiring full-time workers for the department. Civil service examiner Harvey Harden asked Mangan to fire the two workers and fill the jobs through a competitive process.

This week, Mangan said he is exploring ways to have Steele contract for her services directly with the neighborhood substations. Her salary would be reimbursed to the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) shops - by the Police Department.

Steele earns $12.65 an hour and made $24,420 last year with the Police Department.

Mangan also said the Institute for Community Policing at Washington State University is interested in an arrangement that would allow Steele to continue her work. WSU is working with both the city and the county on its outreach programs.

Any decision on whether to retain Steele would have to be approved by the City Council. Under Mangan’s agreement with civil service, her last day on the job would be March 31.

Steele has recently compiled a 1994 report on the six police substations and the 1,300 volunteers.