 About Us
The Neva-Wood C.O.P.S.
Shop first opened its doors in 1996 in a private home. The name
came from the Nevada-Lidgerwood neighborhood. With a few
volunteers, the shop grew in personnel until more space was needed to
continue the many programs that were developing for the volunteers, as
well as exposure to the neighborhood to let them know we were here and
what we did. The volunteers worked in a small space in Northtown
Mall until
1997, then the shop moved into larger quarters in the mall.
Meanwhile, two older
housed located at the corner of Wellesley and Addison were purchased by
the city. With mainly volunteer labor and donated material, the
two houses became what is now the Neva-Wood C.O.P.S. Shop. The
volunteers moved into the new and permanent home in 1998.
We are
staffed entirely by volunteers and are open 5 days a week from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. We continue to offer the neighbors a place to come for
education, information and a contact place for police matters.
Services
-
Neighborhood
Resource Center to report neighborhood crimes and
problems
-
Referral to
agencies in the Spokane Community
-
Crime prevention information
resources
-
Accessibility to Neighborhood
Resource Officers for the Neva-Wood Neighborhood
-
Graffiti team
-
Vehicle accident
reports
-
Code Enforcement forms
-
Meeting
facility
-
Department of Corrections
Officers
-
Bicycle Registration
-
Gun lock distribution
-
Registered sex offender
information
Programs
We offer a variety of programs through the C.O.P.S. Shop. Volunteers use their
own vehicles and gas to mount a Neighborhood Observation Patrol (NOP).
In the past, these volunteers have spotted house fires, thefts in
progress and drunken drivers. The police on patrol call them the
"eyes and ears of the patrol."
Our Graffiti program serves the
neighborhood by taking calls about graffiti, photographing it, recording
it and forwarding the information to the gang unit at Spokane Police
Department. This allows detectives to track gangs through their
graffiti and make timely decisions on where their resources would best
be utilized.
Our McGruff Safe House Program enlists and
identifies homes that can be used in emergencies for children. The
homeowners must pass a background check and their home must meet certain
standards for a safe home. These homes are regulated by our
volunteers and display a McGruff House sign in their window. Local
school officials send a map of the safe house map home with the
children.
Our Family Operation I.D. (OFID) program
is in its' infancy. The process involves taking digital pictures,
fingerprints of children and vulnerable adults and recording vital
statistic information on FBI approved forms. These forms and the
disk with the digital picture are sent home with the parents or
caregiver with critical information.
Projects
We have recently installed a public
address system in the C.O.P.S. Shop
and are actively seeking non-profit groups to use the general meeting
room. Due to some limitations in being a police substation, we are
limited in who can or cannot use the facility.
Events
Our yard sale held in May
2007. This was a great success and we met a lot of people that
live in our neighborhood. McGruff the Crime Dog even made an
appearance to the delight of all the children.
Our May 2008 yard sale
ran for 2 days because of bad weather. The 2009 yard and plant
sale is scheduled for May 2nd, 8am-5pm.
We have a wonderful
volunteer that is available
to do community events
with McGruff the Crime Dog.
If interested, please
call our substation at 625-3353.
Meetings
General Meeting:
First Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m.,
located at C.O.P.S.
Neva-Wood. We invite all our neighbors to join us at these
meetings and give us some guidance and input. Guest speakers are
normally at each meeting. Check our newsletter for information on
upcoming guests.
People
The volunteers at
C.O.P.S. Neva-Wood are men and women of various ages. Some are retired
and others currently working in various businesses. Their common cause
is helping the neighborhoods and their citizens maintain and improve
their quality of life and safety.
Officers and Project
Coordinators:
| Chair |
Barbara
Hedlund |
| Secretary |
Marji
Arnold |
| Treasurer |
Sandy
Smith |
|
Statistician |
Starr Dittmann |
|
Sergeant-At-Arms |
Steve
Rhodes |
| Block Watch Coordinator |
Victor
Buksbazen & Anita Messex |
|
Hospitality Coordinator |
Sheryl
Sandberg |
| Graffiti Coordinator |
Anita
Messex |
| McGruff Costume |
Royce Cuneo |
| McGruff House Coordinator |
Royce and
Linda Cuneo |
| Neighborhood Council Rep. |
Sandy
Smith |
| Neighborhood Resource Officer |
PFC
Russ Coffman |
| Newspaper Editor |
Earlene Littell |
| N.O.P.S. Coordinator |
Starr Dittmann |
| Registered Sex Offender Program |
Valerie
Peterson |
| Special
Projects |
Sandi
Hogland |
| Volunteer Coordinator |
Patty
Boyce |
Partnerships
U-Save Insurance Co., Wendle Motors,
Wal-Mart, Northern Quest Casino, Eagles - Ladies Auxiliary, Martin's On
Monroe, Martin's Auto Service, Allied Heating Co., Avista, R.S.V.P.,
Neva-Wood Neighborhood Council, Spokane Health District.
Fundraisers
-
By donation
-
Yard Sale (May or
June)
-
Golden Corral
Newsletter
A newsletter is published each month
and mailed to over 300 volunteers, all Neva-Wood Block Watches, various city agencies,
neighborhood council members and many others. We welcome visitors
to come to our shop to pick up our newsletter.
See the Spokane C.O.P.S. Annual Report. This report is available at all C.O.P.S. Substations.
Contact Us
Phone:
(509) 625-3353
Fax: (509) 482-3853
E-mail:
copsnevawood@spokanepolice.org
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