Dear friends and neighbors,

I am deeply focused on my work for you and your family in Olympia, and I don’t often talk about my career before I got involved in politics. But we are in a moment where my past is extremely relevant to the work I am doing here.

In the late 1990s, I worked as a federal law enforcement officer, serving as a customs inspector in Port Angeles. The job quite simply is to protect our borders. We inspected automobiles, cargo, and people moving through points of entry at border crossings, verifying travel documents, and we’re always on the lookout for drugs, weapons and suspicious behavior.

On Dec. 14, 1999, my team and I stopped a man driving off the ferry from Victoria headed to California. You can read about all of the details of that night here, but long story short, it turned out the man I stopped and fought with was the Millennium Bomber, an al-Qaeda-trained terrorist on his way to attack the Los Angeles International Airport in a car loaded with explosives equal to 40 car bombs.

My point is this, during every moment of this incident — my pursuit of him, the federal trial in which I testified, the many news reports and other appearances in the media — my face was never hidden.

That is why I feel so passionately that the federal agents currently on American streets should not be allowed to conceal their identity. Law enforcement at every level must build trust among the people they protect and serve. Operating in anonymity, without transparency or accountability makes building that trust impossible.

On Tuesday, I was proud to vote “yes” for Senate Bill 5855, which says that ICE agents operating in our state cannot wear masks to conceal their identity. I feel so strongly about this issue that I was even more proud to be listed second on its list of sponsors.

I hope that you’ll take a moment to watch my floor remarks. You can watch my full speech on Facebook or Instagram.

This bill passed the Senate and will now go to the House for further consideration. Again, I’m proud it passed, but I was disappointed it did so on party lines. I respect my Republican colleagues and work closely with them on many issues. I know deep down many of them believe too that what we are witnessing on the streets of American cities is not normal and is not acceptable.

Their voices in this cause would be helpful and appreciated. I hope they come around.

Stay in touch 
Our office is always ready to help you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us and share your thoughts or concerns. This work can’t — and shouldn’t — happen without you.

Thank you for being such an essential part of our community and for your continued trust. It is an honor to serve you in Olympia.

 

Mike Chapman