SCOPE, Fairchild to team up

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort is teaming with Fairchild Air Base to establish an on-base SCOPE program that will be the first of its kind in the Air Force.

“We’re trail-blazing for the Air Force,” said Tom Boling, Fairchild SCOPE coordinator, as he sat in the new office inside the base’s security forces building. “Nowhere else do we have a relation with local enforcement like we do.”

The new program, which is still awaiting final approval from military officials, will integrate SCOPE protection and crime-prevention programs with military volunteers and resources, said Rick Scott, SCOPE director.

“Once everything’s signed, then we can just get it going,” he said, adding that the group already has ordered supplies and started on running background checks on volunteers.

Although the Sheriff’s Office already has some jurisdiction on base, the new program will allow for shared intelligence with the base, according to Boling. The base is providing the office space for the new SCOPE and access to Eagle Eyes, the base’s anti-terrorism program.

SCOPE will serve the estimated 8,000 people on base during the day and about 2,000 people who are on base at night, Boling said.

The SCOPE board approved the bylaws and contract just last month, but about 100 volunteers already have signed up and are waiting for background checks and training, according to Boling.

“We’re just taking baby steps here, but we’re moving forward,” he said. The goal is to guarantee a safe environment for base residents and employees.

“We don’t have a crime problem on the base, and we don’t want one,” Boling said. The base SCOPE office won’t be initiating all the programs used by other SCOPE offices.

“Not all will translate, but we’ll cherry pick what works and what doesn’t,” Boling said. For example, the base office plans to implement citizen on patrol and the child-identification program, but not traffic control.

Scott also is excited to expand SCOPE’s reach. He sees the new program as an opportunity to have more community-oriented people trained.

“Not all of the military may live on the base. They may live in the community. They may live in my community,” he said, adding that being in SCOPE may encourage active military members to continue volunteering within their neighborhoods even after they are finished with their service, or even start similar programs wherever they may end up.

“The more folks that we can get out there in their community, the better,” said Scott, who added that the base has been extremely supportive of the program and has offered use of its facilities for training and meetings. He is glad to share resources such as SCOPE’s drug prevention partners, domestic violence partners and mentoring programs, and the base’s own community safety programs.

“I’m sure there’ll be other opportunities to grow and learn from each other,” said. “I think the key thing now is collaboration. … It’s seems there’s less and less funding available, unfortunately.”

Boling is looking forward to the partnership. He thinks there is a large interest among active and retired members of the military who want to volunteer time.

The SCOPE program on base not only will provide a volunteer opportunity for active military members but also give them extra assurance that their families are taken care of.

“When you’re deployed, you have a job to do and you can do a better job if you know you’re family is safe,” he said.