Myhand sworn in as president of NC Association of Chiefs of Police, FBI NAA

HENDERSONVILLE - A decorated law enforcement officer and US Army veteran throughout his career, Hendersonville Police Chief Blair Myhand has two more titles to add to his already impressive resume.

According to a Jan. 31 news release from the City of Hendersonville, Chief Myhand, who has served as Hendersonville Police Chief for the past two years, was recently sworn in as the President of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police and the North Carolina FBI National Academy Associates. His terms as president of both groups will run through January 2024.

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"I am honored to have been selected by my peers to represent the Chiefs of Police around the state this year. So few people ever get this opportunity," Chief Myhand told the Times-News on Jan. 31. "I am also appreciative of City Manager John Connet, the Mayor (Barbara Volk) and city council for allowing me to serve in in this role."

Chief Myhand said his duties will include leading the Board of Directors, facilitating association meetings, representing the association in Raleigh on legislative matters and speaking to the media on behalf of NC chiefs upon request about emerging issues.

"As you might imagine, my tenure (mid-January 2023 to mid-January 2024) as president started very busily with the beating death of Tyre Nichols. My job is to represent the position of the chiefs in a positive and sincere way that promotes the values of our profession rather than damaging it," Chief Myhand said.

He began his law enforcement career in 1994 as a police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC and was one of three first Metropolitan Police Department responders to the Pentagon when it was attacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. He was given the Army Commendation Medal for Heroism for his actions that day.

Prior to his law enforcement career, he joined the U.S. Army in 1987, serving for both Virginia and North Carolina Army National Guards until retiring in 2011 as an Infantry First Sergeant. He served two combat tours, one each to Afghanistan and Iraq. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

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He joined the Apex Police Department in Apex, North Carolina in 2005 where he served in many capacities before taking the job of Chief of Police of the Clayton Police Department in 2017. He stayed there until February 2021, when he was hired as Hendersonville's Chief of Police.

Chief Myhand has been a member of the NC Association of Chiefs of Police since 2012, when he served as the Region 7 Director from January 2018 to January 2021. Region 7 includes Person, Granville, Vance, Warren, Orange, Durham, Wake, Franklin and Johnston counties. He was elected to the executive board as Sergeant at Arms in January 2021. Once elected, executive board officers automatically ascend to the office of president over a five-year period typically, the release said. However, since being elected, two executive board officers retired during their terms of office, and those retirements shortened Chief Myhand’s rise to president.

As president, Chief Myhand will represent both the Hendersonville Police Department and all North Carolinamunicipal Chiefs of Police when speaking about law enforcement matters around the state. Those requestsoften come from media outlets, elected officials, special interest groups and other concerned parties. He mayalso appear during legislative matters to help influence public policy and laws affecting law enforcement andcitizens throughout the state, the release said.

Chief Myhand was also sworn in as the FBI National Academy Associates – North Carolina Chapter Presidentfor 2023. The association is comprised of graduates of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. ChiefMyhand graduated from the 252nd Session of the FBI National Academy in March 2013, the release said.

“Police Chief Myhand has led the Hendersonville Police Department with professionalism and enthusiasm overthe past two years,” said Hendersonville Mayor Barbara Volk in the release. “His leadership has ushered in new initiatives, standards, transparency and community engagement to all levels of the organization. We look forward to his continued department leadership and applaud his appointments to these state-level organizations where hecan continue to bring advancements to the law enforcement profession.”

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Myhand sworn in as president of NC Association of Chiefs of Police, FBI NAA