SPOKANE, Wash – Dueling messages came from members of the Spokane City Council Friday as the city debates the future of funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services or C.O.P.S.
The program, made up mostly of volunteers, started in 1991 and provides services at several locations throughout the city.
In recent weeks, the director has raised alarm saying C.O.P.S. was at risk of losing $500,000 in funding in the city budget.
Director Jeff Johnson said he was preparing for C.O.P.S. shops to close at the end of the current contract on December 31.
The city has previously said it would issue a request for proposals for C.O.P.S. and any other agency to bring a plan to provide similar services.
In the meantime, the council will vote Monday on a four-month extension at $200,000. That would allow C.O.P.S. to operate until the end of April while the proposals are being considered.
In a news release Friday, the City of Spokane said, “Despite repeated requests, the organization has not provided financial records and success metrics in the Brown Administration’s requested format.”
“Our desire for community policing, as well as our profound appreciation for volunteers who assist in those efforts remains, but it must be done through responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars and borne out by data,” said Mayor Lisa Brown. “Recognizing the critical role community members play in contributing to safe neighborhoods, we are continuing to invest in community policing through a competitive award process, as we do with contracts across our organization. This process is designed to ensure meaningful outcomes, fairness, accountability, and transparency.”
At the same time the news release was issued, council members Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart were holding a news conference, supporting the organization and encouraging the city to fund the program.
“It’s not an if COPS goes away, it’s when,” Bingle said, indicating his belief that the city has already made up its mind about the future of funding. He said the organization would go from “victim advocacy to criminal advocacy.”
He said having a C.O.P.S. shop in a neighborhood increases the perception of safety.
“We need to fund COPS,” Cathcart said. “Maybe not at the same level it has been funded in the past, but it needs to be pretty darn close.”
In the news release from the city, District 2 Councilmember Paul Dillon said, “C.O.P.S. is encouraged to participate in the City of Spokane’s Request for Proposal process. We must use a data driven and intentional approach to promote community safety through purposeful investments that will ensure all Spokane residents are safe.”
Cathcart encouraged supporters of C.O.P.S. to come to the council meeting Monday.
He called it “probably the last opportunity to be heard” on this.
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