Liberty Lake Scope Having Growing Pains

An undercurrent of tension and resentment rumbled quietly during the Liberty Lake SCOPE meeting Wednesday.

The eruption had happened a month earlier.

Hurtful words were hurled at the last meeting, leaving the group splintered.

On Wednesday, Sheriff Mark Sterk tried to pick up the pieces.

It appeared to be too little too late.

He offered to bring in trained mediators to help members of the SCOPE group work through differences.

“I’ll find money in the budget to make that happen if you need it,” Sterk said.

But mediation probably won’t be necessary. Several of the outgoing board members who have had conflicts with the incoming leadership plan to leave the program.

“What you have is a one or two-man vigilante group,” said outgoing treasurer Bob Gamble.

The split in Liberty Lake cuts deep. At its root is a generation gap the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office seems unable to bridge.

Retired volunteers make up well over half of Liberty Lake SCOPE members. Older members feel younger ones don’t put in enough time volunteering for activities like Citizen on Patrol.

The one contested leadership spot - vice president - showcases the differences.

On the younger side of the gap was incumbent vice-presidential candidate Darren Herndon. A baseball cap on his head, a baby in his arms, Herndon said he wanted to bring younger people like himself into the SCOPE program.

Challenger Don Gollehon volunteers for radar patrol, earning him the nickname of “radar man.” He is retired with plenty of time to dedicate to the Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort.

Gollehon won.

The us-versus-them mentality was most evident in a short speech given by incoming president Harry Hansen’s wife, Joyce Hansen. She was elected to the board of directors.

“I want you to know when you vote for Harry and his right hand people, you have not made a bad decision.”

Sterk described the problems at Liberty Lake as normal growing pains.

“There hasn’t been a SCOPE or COPS station that hasn’t gone through what you’re going through,” he said.

On Wednesday, the following people were elected to SCOPE positions: Hansen, president; Rochelle Renninger, secretary; and Tom Lundstrom, treasurer.

Joyce Hansen, Joe French and Thomas Boyce were elected to the board of directors. Outgoing president Karen Biggs and Tim Shea were listed on the ballot for board director positions, but both withdrew from the race.

When Briggs was asked if she was going to continue as a member of the SCOPE program she helped start a year ago, the room fell silent waiting for an answer.

“No, I’m not,” she said after a long pause. “The last meeting was shameful. I felt beaten down. I need to take a break from all this.”