King County Sheriff Sue Rahr recently said the budgetary battle to reinstate White Center’s storefront deputy was a tall order, but victorious due in large part to the vocal community pleading for his or her return.

On Nov. 3 Deputy BJ Myers was officially introduced at the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting as White Center’s new officer dedicated to reducing crime and acting as a sounding board for community safety concerns (although he has already been on the job for three weeks).

King County Captain Joseph Hodgson introduced the new deputy who has two military deployments, a bachelor degree in political science (with a masters in policy studies in the works) and four years of KCSO experience under his belt.

“He is a well-respected, high-performing deputy,” Capt. Hodgson said, “and as we worked through the selection process the thing that probably impressed us most about him was his very wide perspective on White Center. We had a number of deputies who came in and talked about crime fighting and some of the more traditional law enforcement functions we have.

“Deputy Myers recognized while there is a time and a place for heavy law enforcement he also recognized to solve real problems you have to get to real root causes,” he added.

“I’m excited to be here because I recognize White Center is a diverse neighborhood and I’m encouraged by how many people are invested in this community …” Deputy Myers said. “That’s a big reason why I’m excited to be here, because I know I’m not alone in trying to combat some of the challenges here in White Center.”

Deputy Myers said he plans to coordinate with business owners, schools and community organizations with a goal of “bridge building between a lot of different agencies.”

He said in the first few weeks on the job he has made several arrests, including some lingering warrants from Operation Center of Attention, the ATF raid of gun and drug dealing operations on Oct. 20.

Deputy Myers encouraged anyone with public safety concerns to contact him – whether those issues are in the business district or your neighborhood.

He can be reached at Benjamin.myers@kingcounty.gov, cell phone (206) 391-1651 or office line (206) 296-3333

“I hope that White Center is a place that is safe to raise kids and that has a robust business environment that allows people to live and work here for a long time,” Deputy Myers said.

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meets on the first Thursday of each month at the North Highline Fire District building.