Cheney police officer/dispatcher of the year

By JOHN McCALLUM

Editor

Police Officer Nate Conley never thinks to equip himself with a "craziest story" about his time patrolling the streets of Cheney that he can whip out at social gatherings when asked to do so.

What he does think about a lot is some advice given him while he was still somewhat new to the profession.

"Someone told me early in my career to treat each call like it's your mother who's calling it in and do that level of service," Conley said in a Jan. 15 interview. "I try to use that philosophy while I'm policing."

It's a philosophy helping lead the 10-year Cheney Police Department veteran to be named the 2015 Officer of the Year.

A Spokane native, Conley attended Spokane Community College and worked a couple years in construction after graduating from Shadle Park High School. He said he soon figured out that the inconsistent work schedule and often demanding environment of the job site wasn't for him, and after talking with friends who were on the Spokane Police Department, decided law enforcement was for him.

Conley attended the Idaho Basic Academy in Meridian, Idaho, just west of Boise; an academy he said is of shorter duration than Washington's, but has longer days – days that started at 5:30 a.m. with a run and 90 minutes of work on defensive tactics before breakfast and wrapped up around 10 – 11 p.m.

Conley went from the academy to the Post Falls Police Department, where he worked for three years before deciding to make a lateral move to Cheney's department in June 2005. While he admits the money was better in Washington, he also said the move brought him closer to home and to a community he had spent some time in during the past.

During his time in Cheney, Conley has served as the vice president of the local union, and played a part in the recent passage of Proposition 1, which lifted the city's general fund levy lid and enables the extra revenue to be applied to the needs of public safety.

Married five years, but with no kids yet, Conley said he has seen a lot of changes in his 10 years on the force. Early on, Conley said it was pretty easy to predict when the busiest patrol shifts would be - generally Wednesday - Saturday nights when Eastern Washington University students took to blowing off a little steam.

Conley said that type of activity has "scaled back a bit," but has been made up by call volume increases in other areas. Now, a lot of activity takes place during the day, the shift Conley always works and enjoys, and runs from taking reports of thefts occurring overnight to domestic violence situations and other incidents not necessarily criminal but more "civil in nature."

"Or, they just don't know where else to turn (for help)," Conley said. "It sounds cliché that we're here to help, but that truly is what I enjoy the most. We just assist the people in getting a resolution, one way or another."

Conley's future plans involve Cheney, and he hopes to advance in time up the department ladder. While larger departments might have the allure of more money, Conley said he likes the community policing aspect of a smaller department such as Cheney, where officers and others can help shape goals and direction.

"I like where we're going, the direction we're moving in," Conley said. "I feel like I have a voice here."

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].