Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers has been awarded one of the 2021 Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Advocacy All-Star Awards, which recognize and celebrate the actions of city officials and others who advocate for all 281 cities and towns in the state.

Myers worked closely with the 2021 Washington Legislature on numerous police reform bills relating to use of force, training, tactics and equipment, among others.

“We met with legislators, testified on bills,” said Myers.

He and Port Angeles Police Chief Brian Smith — who was also one of the eight recipients — held many lengthy discussions with legislators “to point out concerns or unintended consequences” of some of the bills under consideration.

“We heard a lot of discussion about what was intended or what was trying to be addressed, and that doesn’t always translate into the words you use to put it into law,” said Myers.

The relationship between Myers and Smith took flight when Hoquiam City Administrator Brian Shay and Port Angeles City Manager Nathan West approached the AWC about what they were doing in regard to the cities’ position on police reform legislation. AWC is a private nonprofit group founded in 1933 that represents Washington’s cities and towns in the Legislature, the state executive branch and with state regulatory agencies.

“We became subject matter experts,” said Myers. “And as time went on as bills and discussions expanded, because of the AWC’s deep involvement and being at the table for so many discussions, we had the opportunity to be present and help represent the perspective of the cities and law enforcement in implementing the intent behind the legislation.”

That took up a lot of Myers’ time, showing how the intent of a piece of legislation may not match the language of the bill. With Democrats in control of the House and Senate, that meant spending a lot of time with Democrat lawmakers.

“I will say, although the majority caucus didn’t always agree, they were always listening,” said Myers.

He said the fact that he and Smith had existing close ties with 24th District lawmakers, all Democrats (Port Angeles and Hoquiam are both in the 24th) “helped to bring a rural perspective voice” to the discussion.

While the outcome of some of the legislation is frustrating to law enforcement — mostly out of concern for public safety, said Myers — he found that legislators typically were drafting well-intended bills. His role was to make sure that the intention matched the language in the law.

“Where the bill started and where we ended up was considerably different” in many cases, said Myers. “Smith and I take pride in being part of that discussion.”

Hoquiam Mayor Ben Winkelman announced the award at the Hoquiam City Council meeting on Monday, which was met with a round of applause and cheers from the city staff and council members on the Zoom call. The city had been made aware of the honor earlier in the day, something Myers called “a nice surprise.”

“Staff of the AWC Government Relations team nominate and select award winners based on our experience working with city officials through the legislative session,” according to Candice Bock, the association’s government relations director.

According to the AWC, “Chief Myers was a key liaison for the law enforcement community. He worked alongside Chief Smith of Port Angeles to provide a crucial voice on police reform. He offered expert insight into policing and helped negotiate compromise language on legislation related to pursuits and use of force standards, as well as providing specific language and terms for successful implementation and objective standards to train officers.”

Smith was also a recipient of the award.

“I am proud of our chief and the meaningful assistance and dedication to making our world a better place,” said Winkelman. “It is wonderful he is being recognized for having such dedication and contributions to a better society for all.”

The police reform issue is not over, said Myers.

“I heard pretty clearly from legislators this is not a one-and-done deal, there may be more police reform bills in the next session, while at the same time there may be a point where legislators have to come back and perhaps fix some unintended consequences which are negatively impacting public safety,” he said.