Rep. Mike Hope

The Council of Metropolitan Police and Sheriffs (COMPAS) recently honored Rep. Mike Hope, R-Lake Stevens, as “Legislator of the Year” for his outspoken advocacy on behalf of public safety in his first two years in the Legislature.  COMPAS represents more than 2,000 commissioned law enforcement officers, including officers from the Seattle Police Guild and the King County Police Officers Guild, the two largest law enforcement agencies in the state.

Hope championed or supported public safety laws to:
• Prevent convicted child abusers from working with children;
• Review sentencing guidelines for child abuse;
• Give judges more authority to deny bail to the most dangerous suspects;
• Expand benefits for personnel and their families when an officer or firefighter is catastrophically injured or killed in the line of duty;
• Hold responsible repeat domestic violence offenders; and
• Increase penalties for those who aid criminals in the act, including family members.

“As a Seattle street cop, I know what law enforcement faces each day. I see the roadblocks that get in our way of keeping the public safe,  especially from repeat offenders,” Hope said. “I feel privileged to accept this distinction, as I know I am standing on the shoulders of giants who came before me. There is no greater role for government than to protect its people from harm so they can live free.”

Renee Maher, Executive Director of COMPAS, said Hope was chosen for this year’s honor because of his tireless efforts to ensure the safety of our officers and the communities they serve.

“Mike has accomplished so much in two short years,” Maher said. “He has refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. He sought common ground by working across party lines to bridge the differences between legislators in both the House and Senate. The law enforcement community is grateful to have people like Mike in the Legislature who understand the importance of putting dangerous people behind bars and protecting victims from further abuse. He also realizes that in order to make sure our communities are served by the best of the best, we have to take care of our officers and their families when they make the ultimate sacrifice.”

Hope shared the honor with retiring Rep. Mark Ericks, D-Bothell.
“It’s been a pleasure working across the aisle with people like Mark,” Hope said. “We all want to keep our communities safe, and I think our law enforcement experience has brought some needed expertise to the Legislature.”

During the interim, Hope is serving on a legislative work group on bail procedures. Hope said he looks forward to working on more public safety reforms in the next session, namely addressing sex offenders in schools.
“I’m committed to ensuring that kids are safe in their classrooms, and that their parents have peace of mind when their children are at school. Together with Representative Kirk Pearson [ranking Republican on the House public safety committee], I know we can get to the bottom of what’s happening and set up some safeguards,” Hope said. “Children must feel secure and protected in their schools, amongst classmates they trust, or their ability to learn is seriously jeopardized.”

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