East Central Prosecutor Position Will Be Filled

Thu., Sept. 10, 1998

Amy Scribner Staff writer

In one year, Tawnya Tangel saw a cross section of the East Central neighborhood.

She worked with victims of domestic violence. She talked with residents about landlord-tenant laws and protection orders. She told a woman how to deal with a stalker.

It was all in a day’s work for Tangel, who began as East Central’s first neighborhood oriented prosecuting attorney (NOPA) a year ago.

“She made some real headway,” said Spokane County Prosecutor Jim Sweetser.

The county prosecutor’s office is searching for a replacement for Tangel, who left in August to accept a job with the Yakima County Prosecutor’s office. Sweetser said his office will take the time to hire someone suitable for the job.

“It’s more important to be selective in hiring than just to hire because you have an open position,” he said. “We need somebody with leadership ability and a sensitivity to diversity.”

The office has interviewed about six applicants so far.

The concept of neighborhood-based attorneys is still relatively new in the Spokane area. In addition to East Central, there are NOPAs based in the West Central Community Center and the Edgecliff SCOPE station in the Spokane Valley.

“They are the wave of the future,” said Tim O’Brien, community affairs manager for the prosecutor’s office.

NOPAs are available to advise residents on an assortment of neighborhood issues, from how to get adequate street lighting to what to do to stop a drug house. They attend community meetings and court hearings.

“They empower citizens to come up with programs to prevent the deterioration of the neighborhood,” said Sweetser.

The neighborhood attorneys are paid for through grants that dictate the focus of the position. In East Central, for example, the money comes from a federal Department of Justice grant that focuses on domestic violence and underserved populations. The Valley position is concentrated on crime prevention.

“Really, the grant drives the focus of the prosecutor, but that doesn’t mean that’s all the prosecutor works on,” said O’Brien.

The NOPA program began three years ago with the West Central office. The East Central position began last year and is based in the East Central Community Center.

Residents say it’s made a difference.

“She helped domestic violence clients extensively,” said COPS East Central President Tom Bernard.

O’Brien said he hopes to expand the program to include a North Side NOPA, possibly at the Fairwood SCOPE station near Mead High School.

Officials say they hope to fill Tangel’s position in the next month.

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