Community Education Vital To Scope Program

Thu., Nov. 12, 1998

Doug Floyd Interactive Editor

Don’t count the Fairwood SCOPE station out just because the number of volunteers is in a downward spiral. The sheriff’s detective assigned to the station says it’s just a matter of capturing volunteers’ interest.

“For the Fairwood area, there were a lot of volunteers, but no one gave them anything to do,” said Lt. Earl Howerton. “They lost interest.”

SCOPE stands for Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort.

Howerton is confident the Fairwood station will rebound under current President Bob Garrison, who took over after the previous president and vice president resigned.

“He is there for a while and is full of good ideas,” said Howerton. “He believes in working together for a better community.”

Community seems to be the operative word. Howerton said Garrison, Howerton himself as the Fairwood detective, Mead School District educators, community volunteers and others are working on several ideas “to bring the community into the arena of crime prevention.”

Citizen patrols are and will continue to be an important part of the SCOPE program.

“A local house with a criminal element to it was just paralyzed, largely through citizen efforts,” he said.

“The difference between a vigorous SCOPE station and one flirting with life support? Education of the community on how they can be part of the community crime-prevention program,” said Howerton. “Solid citizenry that not only wants to be involved but is allowed to be involved. These are the things that SCOPE Fairwood is working toward.”

Redefining terms … and limits

U.S. Reps. Helen Chenoweth and George Nethercutt of North Idaho and Eastern Washington, respectively, both were elected as advocates of term limits. Both just won their third and, by term limits’ standards, last terms.

Chenoweth already has filed for a fourth, although she says that’s just to keep her fund-raising operation aboveboard. She’s changed her mind about term limits but she’ll keep her three-term promise, she promised.

Nethercutt has said he won’t commit himself now to stand by his promise in 2000. It wouldn’t be good for Eastern Washington to have a “lame duck” congressman, he says.

What is it that changes people’s attitudes about term limits - party, incumbency or something else?

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