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COPS funding

Spokane C.O.P.S. volunteer Doug McGuire heads out from downtown for a patrol shift, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Adam Shanks adams@spokesman.com(509) 459-5136

The Spokane City Council wants to fund two victim advocate positions at the nonprofit Spokane COPS.

The only remaining question was where to find the money.

On Monday they found it and the city is expected to dedicate $258,750 to the two victim advocate positions over the next two years.

It will draw funding from the $5.8 million-a-year public safety levy approved by city voters in 2019. The initial proposal was to use funds from the American Rescue Plan, but city officials raised concerns that such spending may not comply with federal standards.

The city forged a new plan on Monday, but the City Council held off on a formal vote until the COPS board could weigh in later this week.

COPS, a nonprofit that exists to bolster public safety and support the efforts of the Spokane Police Department, had funded its two prior victim advocates through a state grant. This year, however, it missed the deadline to reapply.

“The state changed up how they did it this year and we did not get that grant,” COPS Executive Director Patrick Striker explained to the City Council last week.

The grant ran out on June 30, and the nonprofit told the City Council it can only float the positions through July.

“They work with people who have been victimized by crime and help them get whatever resources, assistance, whatever it is they may need,” Striker said.

According to COPS, the two victim advocates provided one-on-one services to 917 people last year. Their work changed during the coronavirus pandemic as day-to-day functions moved online, leading more people to fall victim to scams.

The work of advocates Traci Ponto and Annette Hendrickson was lauded by council members.

“They have worked tirelessly through COVID, taking on a lot of extra duties, especially in neighborhoods working with our older population that used their computers more during COVID to purchase things and then found themselves victims of fraud,” said Councilwoman Karen Stratton, who sits on the COPS board.

In conjunction with the funding, the duties of the victim advocates will expand to include tasks like graffiti abatement.