Candidate for IACP Vice President At Large: Blair Myhand
Blair Myhand began his public safety career in 1987, when he joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). The Old Guard is the Army’s official escort to the President of the United States. Later, he served in both the Virginia and North Carolina Army National Guards until retiring in 2011 as an Infantry First Sergeant. His service includes two combat tours; one each to Afghanistan and Iraq. Most notably, he is a recipient of the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and the Army Commendation Medal for Heroism on September 11, 2001.
He began his law enforcement career in 1994, with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC. He was assigned to the Third District and later to the Emergency Response Team. He joined the Apex Police Department in Apex, North Carolina in 2005, where he served several assignments and ultimately commanded every division. He was hired as Chief of Police for the Clayton, NC Police Department in 2017, gaining hard-earned experience during his tenure.
Over his career, Blair has participated in many national and international events such as: the Million Man March, Presidential Inaugurations, Y2K, several high-profile protests, and international terrorism incidents. Most notably, he was one two officers who were the first Metropolitan Police Officers to enter the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, only minutes after the attack.
Blair has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Waldorf College and a Master of Public Administration from Villanova University. He is a graduate of the 252nd Session of the FBI National Academy. He is an active member for the North Carolina FBI National Academy Associates and the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police where he served as the 2023 President for both associations the same year. He is the current co-chair for the Civilian Law Enforcement Military Cooperation Committee (CLEMCC) and a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) since 2014.
In February 2021, Blair became the Chief of Police for the Hendersonville Police Department in Hendersonville, North Carolina. He leads a staff of 75 employees and manages a $7m annual budget. Blair is happily married to his wife Nana. Together, with their Sheltie, named Tam, they live in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina. Blair enjoys living and working in a supportive department and community.
Candidate Statement
My name is Blair Myhand, and I am seeking your support for the IACP 4th Vice President position. I am passionate about ethical policing and am dedicated to promoting continuous improvement in our ranks. This position simply gives me a chance to make an impact on policing on a more global level than I can in my city. This is an exciting opportunity that I promise not to squander.
I have seen my share of ups and downs over the last thirty years. Every one of the experiences I survived has molded me into the leader I am today. I have learned from my successes and my failures. I pride myself on my integrity and my dedication to professionalism as a leader. I am wholly committed to ethical leadership and adhere to the highest standards of our field. I am disciplined, loyal, and respectful to others. I believe in God, family, and country. In the end, I believe we must always model effective policing in our every action and decision.
The areas I feel are most important and where I will focus my efforts are:
Officer Safety and Wellness
We must work to lower line of duty deaths rates by improving officer fitness and wellness. Nearly a third of the line of duty deaths annually are due to medical issues. And, while the numbers are improving, promoting physical fitness and wellness programs are essential to reducing those numbers even further. We must continue to invest in officer mental health and wellness programs that destigmatize seeking mental health treatment within our profession. Programs like embedded mental health professionals, peer support programs, and critical incident stress debriefings should be commonplace in departments everywhere.
Trust Building
Strengthening trust between our organizations and the public is essential. The investments we make today will sustain us in difficult times. I am a strong advocate of the IACP Trust Building Campaign as a highly effective way to demonstrate a strengthened bond between law enforcement and the public. We should consider adjusting some of the ways in which we interact with the public to include more non-enforcement encounters. People want a police department, not a police force. We need to work with our communities to improve quality of life and protect people from harm.
Bias-Free Policing
I do not subscribe to the belief that police officers are inherently discriminatory. In fact, most police officers come to work every day hoping to make a difference in other people’s lives. While there are some among us who allow bias to creep into their work, systemic racism is not a part of law enforcement. However, it is incumbent that we recognize that how ethically we operate today has not always the case historically. We must continue to reinforce that 21st century policing is void of bias. We must show our communities that we serve everyone, regardless of race, sexual orientation, social economic status, or political affiliation. We do this by constantly and consistently holding ourselves and our officers accountable for our actions.
Alternative Response Protocols
The last decade, especially the last five years, have probably been the most challenging time in modern law enforcement history. If we have learned nothing, it is that we cannot police today the way we did yesterday. We must learn and adopt new approaches to policing. We must promote alternatives to police response and get our officers back to doing what law enforcement was created to do; protect our communities from harm. I believe in, and will support, innovative methods of providing service. Methods such as embedded social workers, victim advocates, civilian crash investigators will help promote a better police/community relationship.
Leadership
Good leadership is critical. We must invest in the personal and professional development of each other and our people. Our employees, and our communities, expect and deserve to be led by the most capable leaders possible. We must coach, counsel, and mentor each other every day. Young Officers will not stay in law enforcement working under ineffective leaders. Confident leaders train their subordinates how to do the leader’s job. It is vital that we hire high-caliber people and that we prepare our organizations for the eventuality of our departure. We must train and develop our future leaders. We must operate above the line and make policing better every day.
I appreciate your support and I promise to listening to you and communicating your interests in the IACP.
- Social media: LinkedIn (@blairmyhand)
- Campaign website: https://www.take-myhand.com/
