SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office will absorb a longtime volunteer police program that saves taxpayers an estimated $1 million annually, the Sheriff’s Office announced Monday.
The Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort, known as S.C.O.P.E., will merge with the sheriff’s office effective Jan. 1, 2026, under a mutual agreement signed Sept. 2 between the Spokane County Board of Commissioners, the S.C.O.P.E. Board and Sheriff John Nowels.
The organizational change is designed to enhance communication and efficiency while ensuring volunteers can continue their service without interruption, according to the announcement…