Jeff Humphrey, Media Manager, 509.625.6308
Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at 12:11 p.m.
Your Neighborhood Resource Officer is probably the closest you’ll ever get to having a Spokane cop on speed dial.
“So the main thought for having NRO’s is, to really be a bridge between the community and the police department. So that the community has an actual place to go to, talk to an officer, and seek some help and advice on how to get rid of, or deal with, these problem places or problem activities that are happening in their neighborhood,” explained Neighborhood Resource Officer Jake Willard.
NRO’s are committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe, like keeping guns out of the hands of convicted felons.
When Betsy Williams saw her apartment complex getting dangerous, she asked Officer Willard to help rally law-abiding residents and get rid of the problem tenants.
“And with that caring and attitude, he came and he checked and, found resources number one, to help people, first of all. And then, second of all, to bring an authority that says ‘if there’s a problem in this complex, we need to resolve it’ ” said Williams, manager of the Richard Allen Apartments.
NRO’s also help resolve chronic nuisance properties.
Police have responded to complaints about a South Hill more than seven times in the past year and now, Willard can legally require the tenant and property owner to come up with a binding plan to abate the problems.
“It’s not to stop you from having friends and family in your home, who you care about. It’s to stop the people who are coming here who are causing issues for everybody. We want to stop that stuff from happening,” Willard explained to the tenant after handing her a chronic nuisance citation.
NRO’s tackle quality of life issues in our neighborhoods. Everything from illegal camping to reckless driving.
“People come and talk about being the victim of property crimes. We deal with a lot of property crimes type stuff. We try to identify who may be the player. Who may be causing most of that activity and work up something, I can provide patrol to work with, and stop that criminal activity from happening,”
Your NRO can also help make your family a less attractive target for criminal activity.
Willard noticed a home’s doors and windows are obscured by brush making it more susceptible to a burglary.
“When I see homes like that, I just want to get a hold of the property owner and talk with them,” Willard said of the overgrown property.
In this case, Willard has a talk with Ed and learns the gentleman would appreciate a little help getting his landscaping under control.
“It’s just more of a way to protect you and your property and your home,” Willard assured Ed.
To learn more about how an NRO could make your neighborhood safer, visit www.spokanecops.org.
