SPOKANE, Wash – As the City of Spokane weighs the future of funding for the Community-Oriented Policing program (COPS), the director disclosed to 4 News Now Monday the program still has some money to operate.
COPS Executive Director Jeff Johnson says he’s waiting to hear if the city will include COPS in its budget for about $500,000, but so far, the city has not made a decision.
Johnson told the city council last month that he’s preparing for the COPS locations to shut their doors on December 31.
Monday, however, Johnson told 4 News Now that COPS has a little over $200,000 in the bank.
He says that could be used to operate into February but could also be used to settle contracts with vendors or landlords.
“Up until late last week we were under the impression that [the city funding] was kind of almost a rubber stamp that things were going well,” Johnson told 4 News Now. “Then some circumstances have changed, I guess. It’s become a bit of a moving target.”
Johnson went on to say that “there might be some sentiment that because we have money, we don’t need any more, which is so untrue.”
Despite Johnson’s assertion that he thought the funding was secure until last week, the funding has been in jeopardy since at least September.
Last week, RANGE published a story that listed a series of issues with COPS, ranging from communication breakdowns with the city to the backgrounds of several employees and volunteers.
COPS representatives plan to speak at Monday’s city council meeting, pressing for the city to continue funding the program.
COPS formed out of tragedy in 1991.
After two girls were kidnapped from West Central, neighbors got together to find a way to make the neighborhood safer.
Over the years, COPS has grown to nine locations where volunteers do everything from registering bikes to taking fingerprints.
Many of the locations now are closed most hours of the day, however. The most frequent users of the COPS locations are on-duty police officers coming in to use the restroom or complete paperwork.
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