Fairchild outpost re-dedicated

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE - Law enforcement and base officials marked the opening of a new community substation Friday, March 10, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"This particular SCOPE (Sheriff's Community-Oriented Policing Effort) station has been in place at the on base for a while. So, this was really a re-invigoration project." Sheriff John Nowels said. "It's time for us to rekindle that relationship with the Air Force."

Community Outreach Policing Effort Director Chris Conway said SCOPE Incident Response Team Coordinator Lee Chessman volunteered to get this station back up and running.

"They are in the process of reaching out to the personnel on base and their families to see who wants to contribute as a volunteer," Conway said. "Ultimately, we want to reestablish the Neighborhood Watch, as well, by fostering and promoting the community effort to make the community a safer place."

Conway said the Sheriff's Office wants the outreach program to have its own repsonse vehicle at Fairchild, as well, giving volunteers more immediate access to incidents.

"Volunteers come and go, and volunteerism was really a struggle during COVID," Nowels said. "We have a lot of people that want to take up the torch.

"It really is about citizens and volunteers taking control in their communities."

Base community outreach will look different than elsewhere, the sheriff said, noting every station is unique and consists of volunteers from the community they serve.

"We have found over and over again that the more engaged we are with SCOPE, for example, the more people volunteer in general," Nowels said. "The best way to prevent and control crime in an area is to engage with the residents who are living in those neighborhoods."

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Lucas Walsh, Former managing editor

Lucas is a former Cheney Free Press managing editor. He is a nationally published author who contributes regularly to several publications across the country.