Voters Pick Republican For Sheriff Job

Bensalem Township’s longtime public safety director will have a new job come 2022 – Bucks County sheriff.

Republican Fred Harran surpassed the number of votes earned by Democrat Mark Lomax, a former state police commander, during the Tuesday general election. Harran led Lomax 94,253 to 74,909 votes with most counted by early Wednesday.

Harran has worked in the Bensalem Township Police Department since 1987. Starting in 1992, he implemented the department’s community policing unit that was created to build relationships between the community and law enforcement. He also oversaw the department’s domestic violence initiative. In 1997, Harran became the deputy director of public safety. He became the public safety director in 2006 and has overseen 173 employees, including 106 police officers and the township’s fire services and emergency medical services.

“I want to use my experience as director of public safety for Bucks County’s largest police department to continue its primary mission at the courthouse, and to aid local law enforcement wherever needed. This means supporting the 39 police chiefs in Bucks, fulfilling the sheriff’s civil and criminal duties to ensure local officers remain on the streets, responding to 9-1-1 calls when appropriate, and protecting all our citizens in their daily lives,” he recently told LevittownNow.com.

Harran and Lomax both campaigned as supporters of law enforcement who would focus on improving the sheriff’s office, which has been run by outgoing Democratic Sheriff Milt Warrell. The current sheriff lost to Lomax in the primary.

Warrell endorsed Harran in social media posts in the weeks leading up to the election.

Sheriffs oversee the row office that dates back hundreds of years. The office handles the transport of prisoners to and from Common Pleas County, serves warrants and makes arrests, deals with civil matters, oversee sheriff’s sales, and is authorized to keep the peace.

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