Scope Gets Community Involved

Outside the city limits, sheriff’s detectives and county residents operate SCOPE stations, the county’s equivalent to the COPS program. Since the Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort doesn’t have neighborhood resource officers, the following are station presidents:

Fairwood SCOPE Diana Somervile 477-6377

Located in one of the portable buildings on the periphery of Mead High School, the Fairwood SCOPE station houses president/director Diana Somervile, two detectives and a rotating roster of about 15 volunteers.

“People off the street can come in and get an accident report or find out about Block Watch,” Somervile said. “We can make referrals for community services.”

Currently, the office is working on a victim call-back program. Volunteers contact crime victims to gather information and explain how reports are handled.

Volunteers also are trying to start an Alzheimer’s patient identification program which, like the child ID program, records the person’s fingerprints and photo on a computer disk.

As with most of the other offices, recruiting volunteers is a major concern.

“We’re in a birthing era,” Somervile said, noting that the station was set up in 1996. “We try to do so many things, but can only do so many with the number of volunteers we have.”

“Without them, I can’t do my job,” added Detective Dan Spivey.

The purpose of the office is to provide a partnership between the sheriff and the community. It is also a resource for community members, and gives people a chance to help out.

“If you put police in the community, people see us as regular folks,” said Detective Michael Zollars. “We are more accessible so people are more apt to report things and talk to us.”

Deer Park SCOPE Charlotte Dwyer 276-7848

Deer Park SCOPE has come a long way since it started four years ago with three women answering phones.

Now, in addition to taking calls and filling out paperwork, SCOPE volunteers run a citizens-on-patrol group, help dispose of hazardous household waste for seniors who can’t do it themselves and have been trained to use the office as an Alzheimer’s safe-return site.

But president and office manager Charlotte Dwyer, who has been there from the start, said the office has never changed from its original purpose of helping sheriff’s deputies, and helping people get more involved with their community.

“It’s always a challenge to get volunteers,” said Dwyer, noting that the station currently has 41 active members. “Now we’re trying to get more teens to help.”

Liability issues limit what volunteers under 18 can do, but Dwyer said there are many ways for teens to get involved.

If there’s one thing she would like people to know, it’s that the SCOPE station is there for them.

“We’re here for the community,” Dwyer said. “We don’t get paid for this. But because we love the community we want to keep it a good one.”

Mead SCOPE Ed McGee 466-1598

Mead SCOPE is in transition.

“The main thing it needs is an office,” said Mead SCOPE director Ed McGee, who runs the station out of his home, at the end of a curvy road in Mead Royale mobile home park.

McGee said he’s been working with Mead School District Superintendent Bill Mester, and has submitted plans for a new station.

“If we had a nice office more people would get involved,” he said. “If it was on a main street, it would get more recognition and people would know there is a SCOPE in this area.”

Mead SCOPE currently has about 15 volunteers who help patrol neighborhoods and record fingerprints for the SCOPE child identification program, which keeps personal information handy in case a child is lost.

McGee has lots of ideas for other SCOPE programs he’d like to start - like forming a committee to help the elderly with things such as mowing lawns and shoveling snow.

But for now, he’d like people to know that Mead SCOPE is a place for people who care about their community. With a new SCOPE program director in place, he thinks the future may hold some changes.

“Give us about a year and you’ll see a big difference in the SCOPE program,” he said.

Graphic with map: Neighborhood COPS substations