Scholarship in Griswold's name helps family of slain officer heal

POST FALLS - A new scholarship in memory of Tina Griswold is helping the Post Falls parents of the slain Lakewood, Wash., police officer heal.

The National Association of Women in Criminal Justice recently presented a $1,000 scholarship with Griswold's name to Margaret Cornell, a 19-year-old from Kalispell, Mont., who is an intern with Washington State University's campus police.

Cornell is a WSU sophomore studying criminal justice.

"She became interested in law enforcement by watching her junior high resource officer," said Geneva DeLong, Griswold's mother. "She saw him making a difference in lives, and she wants that same positive impact."

Griswold was among four Lakewood, Wash., officers shot and killed at a coffee shop last November. The killer, Maurice Clemmons, was shot and killed by a Seattle police officer in December.

DeLong and her husband, Stan, spoke at the NAWCJ's luncheon in March in which $2,000 for scholarships was raised.

DeLong said she's a believer in NAWCJ's mission and assisting the organization any way she can helps the healing process with Griswold's tragedy.

"Their purpose is to mentor and coach women in the criminal justice system," DeLong said. "I'm absolutely amazed at the quality of the staff and their dedication. Anything we can do to enhance the training of officers and prosecutors, then we need to it.

"Our daughter was a true professional in every sense of the word, but she had additional qualities that made her so effective and that was heart, compassion and caring."

DeLong said her dream is to have all of the region's colleges that offer law enforcement programs be tied to the NAWCJ and aware of its scholarship program.

"It's a wonderful way to heal for our family," she said. "We feel so honored that they used Tina's name. We can't do anything for Tina, but we can do things for others and that's important to us."