Cooperation goal for EWU, Cheney

CHENEY – A review of the interlocal agreement between the Cheney Police Department and the Eastern Washington University police could lead to more efficient cooperation.

Cheney Police Chief Jeff Sale said he would like the EWU police to have more authority within the city so the departments could offer more support to each other on calls.

“We will cross and commingle on an occasional basis,” he said.

The added authority would allow EWU police to offer extra support to Cheney officers as needed without getting administrative permission first, Sale said. A previous interlocal cooperation agreement limits the EWU Police Department’s jurisdiction to the campus.

More than 95 percent of police departments have agreements that allow officers to cross campus jurisdictions when necessary, he said, and that is how it should work in Cheney.

EWU Police Chief Tim Walters said university police assist Cheney officers on about 27 calls a month, but they do not patrol the city.

“We assist the Cheney Police Department quite often because they request our assistance,” he said. A new agreement “wouldn’t really change how we do our business.”

Walters said EWU police focus almost exclusively on the campus. The new agreement would just remove extra restrictions on university officers when they occasionally operate in the city of Cheney.

EWU police have more freedom when operating in Spokane or throughout the county, Walters said. A new agreement would give similar authority to EWU officers in Cheney when they are transporting a suspect or witnessing a serious crime.

“The cooperation is there,” he said. “The legal balance is what we’re concerned about.”

City attorneys are now reviewing a new agreement between the departments, Sale said. They are looking specifically at liability issues.

The Cheney City Council is expected to consider the change once the attorneys review it, he said. The council will make the final decision on whether to adopt a new agreement.

“It has to be changed by the City Council,” Sale said. “I will take my direction from them.”

Sale said he would write a letter giving EWU police authority to cross into Cheney jurisdiction when needed. The letter would be renewed every year.

Throughout the city, there is some political opposition to changing the agreement, he said. The community worries about how the departments might interact.

The EWU police are not security guards, Walters said. They are commissioned officers from the police academy who often move on to serving at city departments.

“There’s no difference,” he said. “They hold the same credentials.”

Walters said a common concern is that university police officers would be patrolling Cheney and handing out citations. But more than 99 percent of the department’s traffic citations are issued within their campus jurisdiction.

“They’re only to assist the Cheney Police Department as needed,” Walters said of EWU officers. “They’re not to be down in the city making traffic stops.”

Sale said he hopes the city attorneys will make a recommendation soon. Then the City Council could move forward with considering the change.

“How long that will take,” Sale said, “I don’t have a handle on.”