AIRWAY HEIGHTS — There’s a new police chief in town and he’s looking for help from the community he is sworn to protect.
“Law enforcement can’t do it on their own,” Brad Richmond, the city’s new police chief, said. “We have to collaborate and work with our community, and all our other partners to effect quality of life in a positive way for all of our citizens.”
It only took 27 years, but Richmond, 53, has come full-circle.
He started his law enforcement career in Airway Heights before leaving to work for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office for nearly 25 years, most of it as a local investigator on a federal task force focused on drugs, gangs and human trafficking.
He finally returned to where he started — he has always lived in Airway Heights — on Dec. 18 to take the top-cop job.
Richmond identified several issues on his radar: providing current officers with more training, the rise in property crime, which he called “our biggest concern,” and hiring more officers as the West Plains city grows.
But it’s citizen partnership that he preaches the loudest.
One of the first things Richmond did when he arrived was buy into the Spokane County Crime Check system.
Funded by sales tax authorized by voters in 2017, the 24/7 Crime Check system is a non-emergency call system, connected to the Spokane Regional Emergency Communications 911 system that processes crime reports and tips.
That system takes much of the paperwork burden from Richmond’s officers and allows them to respond better to crime by using what he called “data-driven policing,” along with human intelligence from citizens.
“It’s relieving some of our paperwork burden,” he said, “so they can do more proactive policing … and focus our resources into those areas where crime is affecting quality of life for our citizens.”
But don’t think the police are passing the buck to Crime Check. Quite the opposite.
Richmond was quick to point out that officers will still be contacting people who call into Crime Check, in addition to reports taken by the service, “to ensure that community contact is given and that we’re offering our citizens the best police service that we could,” he said.
Richmond and his 20 commissioned officers collaborate with federal, state and tribal and Department of Corrections partners, all of whom are part of the law enforcement fabric of Airway Heights, on a $2.8 million budget, most of which is used for salary and benefits.
In addition to his duties as police chief, Richmond also runs a non-profit called Northwest Gang Investigators Association.
Started in 1994 by law enforcement gang investigators, the program educates 500 law enforcement officers, corrections officers, prosecutors and elected officials and community members in gang-related training each year, according to it’s website.
“It’s a blessing to give back,” Richmond said of the non-profit.
Richmond is also a military veteran who served as security police from 1985 – 1991 at Fairchild Air Force Base.
Lee Hughes can be reached at [email protected].
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