Cops Ne Needs Volunteers

Volunteers at COPS Northeast are pleased with what they are doing for the community. But like any other group that depends on volunteers, they can always use a helping hand.

The COPS Shop at 5208 N. Market was Spokane’s second-ever volunteer cop shop. It opened in 1992, a year after COPS West in West Central opened.

COPS Northeast needs more volunteers for its neighborhood Blockwatch programs and especially for its Neighborhood Organization Patrol, said public relations coordinator Kelley Reinlasoder.

“We’re down to just four NOP volunteers,” Reinlasoder said. “We’re having a hard time getting people out.”

NOP patrols emerged at the various cop shops almost three years ago. Volunteers patrol their neighborhoods during the weekends and report any suspicious activity to their respective neighborhood resource officer.

“We have a want list, but we also have reality checks,” said group president LuAnn Suryan. “The world is just more fast-paced and a lot of people just don’t have the time.”

So with that being the case, organizers are encouraging people to do what they can for the community from their own homes.

“Some people feel they don’t have anything to offer,” Suryan said. “They think they’ve got to be law enforcement experts to help out.

“That’s not the case at all. We are a resource and referral group first and foremost for the community,” she said.

The organization boasts 45 active members, and its officers feel that they can call on the community in crisis situations.

Ironically, since the start of Spokane COPS, the program has received a lot of national attention. But in Hillyard, Reinlasoder said there are still people who don’t know that Northeast COPS exists.

“But that’s what we’re here for,” Suryan said. “To keep them informed and let them know that we’re here when they need us.

“Sometimes people need a voice, not just a voice mail to talk to. That’s why we’re here.”

, DataTimes