Airway Heights Police Department

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Airway Heights Police Department

The Airway Heights Police Department serves approximately 10,000 citizens over approximately 5 square miles on the West Plains in Spokane County, Washington.

The mission of the Airway Heights Police Department is to collaborate with our local, state, federal, and tribal partners within the community to preserve peace, serve and protect the citizens, business owners, and guests, and their property.

14/06/2026

Congratulations to the newest member of the Airway Heights Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program.

Rachel Grubb is a LEAD case manager. This weekend, she graduated from Eastern Washington University with a Master of Social Work (MSW) and a Master of Public Administration.

Rachel started as an intern about 18 months ago. She became a full-time employee for the city of Airway Heights in October 2025.

In her position, Rachel works to help people with unmet behavioral health needs, substance use challenges, or extreme poverty find collaborative, community-based care, housing, and long-term case management. Thank you to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) for the generous funding that made this innovative program possible.

Congratulations, Rachel! We are so excited to share your success and are fortunate to have you on our team.

13/06/2026

One of the greatest strengths of our community is the partnership between the Airway Heights Police Department and our local businesses. We are incredibly grateful for our strong working relationship with the team at Dealers Auto Auction and their ongoing commitment to helping keep our community safe.

This case serves as another example of how collaboration between law enforcement and our community partners leads to positive outcomes. When we work together, share information, and remain vigilant, we increase our ability to identify criminal activity, hold offenders accountable, and protect the people and businesses that make our community such a special place.

On May 12, officers from the Airway Heights Police Department Patrol Division responded to Dealers Auto Auction on Hayford Road regarding a theft. Officers learned that a vehicle transport driver was unloading vehicles when an unknown male arrived in another vehicle and entered one of the recently unloaded vehicles, removed the keys from the ignition, and left the area.

The driver immediately notified employees at Dealers Auto Auction, who assisted by creating a replacement key for the vehicle. During this process, the suspect unexpectedly returned to the location and provided the original key back to the transport driver. Based on the facts developed during the investigation, officers believe the suspect may have intended to steal the vehicle once it was left unattended. It remains unknown why the suspect returned the key.

Through diligent investigative work and information gathered during the incident, Airway Heights officers identified the suspect and submitted charges to the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for Attempted Vehicle Theft, Vehicle Prowl in the Second Degree, and Theft in the Third Degree.

The Airway Heights Police Department has seen a significant increase in vehicle thefts and vehicle-related crimes in recent years. We encourage community members to take simple yet important precautions, such as locking their vehicles, removing keys, securing valuables, and reporting suspicious activity immediately.

Together, through strong partnerships and a shared commitment to community safety, we can continue to deter crime, support victims, and hold accountable those who choose to victimize our community.

11/06/2026

The Airway Heights Police Department is proud to announce a unique approach to helping supervised individuals make successful returns to their communities.

It is called the West Plains Collaborative Continuum of Care & Community Reentry Initiative. It is built around the simple premise that public safety is more than law enforcement.

“It is about building partnerships that help people succeed before a crisis occurs and supporting individuals and families as they work toward positive change,” explained Airway Heights Police Chief Brad Richmond.

The initiative includes an increased emphasis on a collaborative partnership between the Airway Heights Police Department and the West Plains Department of Corrections Field Office. Some of the plans are already underway, with supervised individuals performing work that includes, among other things, pulling weeds, cleaning buildings, and roadwork. All work is limited to city properties and involves carefully vetted, supervised individuals.

Supporters believe that the relationship between Airway Heights and the DOC field office will create opportunities for coordinated case management, proactive intervention, resource navigation, and enhanced support for justice-involved individuals transitioning back into the community.

"Our goal is simple," Richmond said. "We want people to know that we care, that we are invested in their future, and that we believe positive change is possible. When communities work together to help people succeed, everyone benefits."

Other existing and emerging community-based programs dovetail into the initiative:

• West Plains Crisis Response Team (CRT): The program pairs specially trained officers with behavioral health clinicians to respond to people in crisis to avoid incarceration.

• West Plains Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD): Advocates provide diversion opportunities focused on treatment, stabilization, and case management services.

• Airway Heights Community Court and Therapeutic Courts offering accountability-focused alternatives that connect participants with treatment and support services.

• Youth Engagement Specialist (YES) Officers work to foster prevention, mentorship, intervention, and positive youth development within Cheney Public Schools.

• West Plains Victim Services Team provides trauma-informed advocacy, crisis intervention, safety planning, family support, and resource coordination for victims of crime and crisis.

The initiative reflects a growing recognition that public safety and behavioral health are deeply interconnected. By addressing the underlying causes of criminal behavior, substance abuse, mental health challenges, victimization, and community instability, regional partners aim to improve outcomes for individuals while enhancing safety for the broader community.

Airway Heights is excited to share developing news of this unique continuum of care as partners work to create a community built on the simple premise – together we rise.

10/06/2026

During the Co-Responder Conference in Dallas, K9 Tonks from the Airway Heights Police Department met Crisis K9 Chase from the Hutto Police Department in Texas.

The inspiration for K9 Chase came directly from the hard work Tonks puts in at these conferences. We are proud of K9 Tonks! She is an inspiring ambassador and advocate for our Crisis K9 program.

K9 Chase is still just a playful baby, but an absolute sweetheart. We can't wait for him to finish his training and watch the amazing things he will do for the City of Hutto, TX – Municipal Government!

K9 Tonks is part of the West Plains Crisis Response Team, which focuses on resolving emergencies without arrests. This program is funded by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC).

09/06/2026

Airway Heights Officer K9 Tonks is tuckered out. She’s busy sharing and learning at the Co-Responder Conference in Dallas this week.

The Airway Heights Police Department sent members of the West Plains Crisis Response Team, Maria Fell (CRT Officer with Cheney Police Department), Cari Surface (Co-Responder), Kayla Illsley (CRT Officer with the Airway Heights Police Department), K9 Officer Tonks, and Jenny McClelland (Co-Responder Supervisor), thanks to funding from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. The Crisis Response Team works to de-escalate crises, connect people with resources, and help individuals and families experiencing some of life's most difficult moments find compassionate alternatives to incarceration.

K9 Tonks is a hit at the conference and has inspired one agency to launch a similar program.

Being the star of the conference is hard work! Tonks is practically snoozing in her water bowl at the end of day one.

Tonks, get some rest! There’s more hard work ahead.

08/06/2026

Airway Heights police officers are grateful for a state Officer Wellness grant that helps them focus on emotional and mental health. The money will provide officers with free private therapy sessions with a trauma-informed licensed clinical therapist.

Grassroots Therapy Group offers individual and group therapy to officers following a critical or traumatic incident.

Both individual and group therapy can also be offered in the event of a critical incident. Grant funding will be subcontracted to Grassroots Therapy Group.

“The therapist doesn't require them to come to her office. She'll come to them,” said Airway Heights Grants and Community Initiatives Director Alise Mnati. “She will meet officers around their schedule and even do ride-alongs with them if the officer really cannot get away for an appointment.”

Mnati knows the $20,000 Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission grant is invaluable. She shared comments from AHPD officers who’ve used the free mental wellness service over the last two years.

“One officer called the Officer Wellness Program an emotional life preserver. Another described it as powerful and motivating,” Mnati recounted. “Still another officer called it a blessing to make officers' wellness a priority so that they can serve our community and their friends and family at their very best."

The Airway Heights Officer Wellness program has also trained officers in offering peer support to their colleagues. National law enforcement statistics illustrate the need for counseling and support. The Fraternal Order of Police reports that 44% of active-duty officers experience ongoing psychological distress. Estimates are that one out of four officers will experience job-related PTSD, anxiety, or depression.

Thank you, Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, for supporting our efforts to care for those who make our communities safer. Together we rise.

This grant will begin on July 1, 2026, and end on June 30, 2027.

07/06/2026

SkyFest 2026, hosted by Fairchild Air Force Base, was an amazing event. What a great weekend, attended by thousands.

📸: Jerry Kayser

06/06/2026

The West Plains Safety Alliance (WSPA) and its unique community-centered focus caught the attention of counties across the state seeking alternatives to incarceration and ways to connect those in need with available services.

Ashley Martinez, Law Enforcement Assisted Division (LEAD) program supervisor, and LEAD case manager Rachel Grubb both work under the City of Airway Heights. LEAD works to enhance public safety and equity by diverting people with unmet behavioral health needs and income instability away from incarceration and prosecution, and into non-punitive, collaborative, community-based systems of response and care.

Organizers at the Washington State 2nd Annual Deflection and Diversion Summit provided a grant so Grubb and Martinez could show other counties how work on the West Plains is changing lives.

“We talked about how it all started and how our different initiatives, like LEAD, the Crisis Response Team, and West Plains Victim Services, are working thanks to our amazing support from community partners,” said Ashley.

The Crisis Response team is a partnership between the Airway Heights Police Department and the Cheney Police Department. Officers are paired with a specialized co-responder dedicated to de-escalating crises and finding alternatives to those caught in crisis.

West Plains Victim Services’ mission is to eliminate violence in the West Plains by promoting healing, hope, and resiliency through support services and education.

Conference attendees wanted to know about the program’s sustainability and how it has grown significantly since LEAD launched 2 years ago. What Ashley and Rachel presented caught the eye of a national LEAD expert.

“She was able to give us really great feedback, and we all agreed, we are where we are today because of our community partners,” Ashley explained.

Thank you, Ashley and Rachel, and all our community partners, for believing we can change lives and foster hope... one person at a time.

05/06/2026

🍩 Happy National Donut Day! 🍩 🤩

From all of us at the Airway Heights Police Department — we’re wishing you a sweet and safe National Donut Day! Whether you’re enjoying a classic glazed or a treat filled with jelly, we hope your day is full of smiles and sprinkles. 😄

Have a fun and safe weekend! And remember, we’re always here if you need us.

04/06/2026

This weekend, June 6th- 7th, Fairchild Air Force Base will be hosting Skyfest, featuring static displays and performances by several civilian and military aircraft.

TRAFFIC ALERT: This event will impact the area of State Route 2 in the vicinity of Fairchild Air Force Base. Travelers should allow plenty of time and expect longer-than-usual delays between 9:00 AM and 6:30 PM around Fairchild Air Force Base.

Washington State Patrol troopers will be in the area assisting with traffic control, along with our partners from the Washington State Department of Transportation. Extra enforcement patrols will also be in the area throughout the weekend. We are asking everyone to be patient and obey all traffic laws. Fairchild Air Force Base will require all attendees age 18 or older to present valid identification to enter the base. Travelers should expect delays and congestion on State Route 2 from Fairchild’s Main Gate into Airway Heights, so please plan accordingly.

The Washington State Patrol will have representatives from the Aviation Division, as well as a recruiting booth set up in the public safety hangar at Skyfest. Please stop by and meet with the WSP representatives.

📸: Myk Crawford Photography

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+15092443707

Website

http://cawh.org/

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