In (the Aug. 3 Free Press) “Possible ‘P Zone' revision gets hard look,” Cheney's excellent police chief, Jeff Sale, wants to grant Eastern Washington University police law-enforcement authority within Cheney.
Sale says he is not asking them to patrol the city's streets. He wants them to intercede when they see something.
I'm sorry, chief, but they won't be able to see anything unless they are patrolling the streets. This has been a significant problem in the past.
EWU's chief, Tim Walters, has made it clear he wants the authority so he can provide his young officers training, which means patrolling the streets. The reason he needs this authority is because his department has nothing to do.
Chief Walters has referred to Eastern as a community to justify the need for his department. Actually, chief, Eastern is more like a shopping mall. While there may be thousands of people on campus during the day, there are very few at night. You and your crew are little more than mall guards. Anyone who follows The Easterner's weekly police blotter can attest to the paucity of actual crime on campus.
If Cheney wants to give EWU police the right to drive around town, then council members should review the size of the city's police department.
There is no reason to have two departments patrolling the same space. This question overlooks Eastern's security. If EWU police are roaming Cheney, they are not fulfilling their primary duty of protecting the university. There are already concerns expressed about EWU police cruising around Williams Lake, Four Lakes and points in between.
If Chief Walters feels his troops do not need to be around campus, maybe it is a strong indication Eastern does not need a police department.
If Eastern goes to a campus-security model, the debate ends and the university saves money.
Tom Showalter
Cheney
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