Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association
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  1. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
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    N York Co, Pennsylvania
    (York County)
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    Default Re: Joe Hanna for Sheriff

    I am glad to hear his stated positions. If my initial assumption was wrong, I'd be happy to have it prove so. I have known Joe for many, many years....and I'd be glad to find out he is pro 2nd Amendment, and a Constitutional conservative. I hope it is so, and time will tell.

  2. #12
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    Default Re: Joe Hanna for Sheriff

    Of course when a candidate wins an election they can always be counted on to do exactly what they told prospective voters they would do.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Macungie, Pa, Pennsylvania
    (Lehigh County)
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    Default Re: Joe Hanna for Sheriff

    Just resurrecting this thread with regards to the Lehigh County sheriff's race. I was surprised to see that Zucal has the endorsement of FOAC (see bold face below)

    http://www.mcall.com/news/local/elec...025-story.html



    For the first time in 24 years, there will be a new sheriff in town.

    In one of two contested row office races in Lehigh County, two law enforcement heavyweights are vying to take over the post occupied by longtime Sheriff Ronald Rossi, a Democrat who has held the office since 1991.

    Both candidates — Democrat Ed Zucal and Republican Joe Hanna — have decades of law enforcement experience. Each man has pledged to improve courthouse security, increase community outreach and update technology in the department.

    Zucal, 58, of Allentown is a sergeant with 23 years in the Allentown Police Department and a part-time deputy coroner for the county.

    Hanna, 59, of Lower Macungie Township works in the district attorney's office as a county detective. He served 34 years on the Allentown police force, briefly holding the top post of chief.

    In what likely reflects the candidates' backgrounds and recent news about violence at courthouses in Chester and Delaware counties, both men list courthouse security as a growing concern. Both said they will make sure sheriff's deputies get the weapons training necessary to deal with any potential "active shooter."
    Democratic candidate Ed Zucal is running for Lehigh County Sheriff

    Zucal, a veteran Allentown police officer, started his career as an EMT in his teens.

    If elected, Zucal plans to create a "crisis advanced tactical unit" for the courthouse, which would include emergency medical personnel and officers with advanced non-lethal weapons training. He said he'd also like to see the courthouse security guards who check visitors at the door armed with Tasers.

    "It's come to that point in America where emotions are starting to take over common sense," he said. "People are acting without thinking rationally about the outcome."

    In addition to weapons training, Hanna said he'll employ his experience as a crisis negotiator to make sure his staff is trained to talk down angry courthouse visitors.
    Lehigh County Sheriff Race
    Ed Zucal, Democratic candidate for Lehigh County sheriff (HARRY FISHER / THE MORNING CALL)

    "Sometimes it boils down to merely the approach and the demeanor of the officer to determine whether a situation will escalate or be diffused," Hanna said.

    Zucal currently supervises the Allentown Police Department's traffic division, including the motor unit and the Hamilton Street bike patrol. He investigates hit-and-run incidents, and coordinates the department's drunken-driving investigations and child seat belt enforcement programs. He also a former EMT.

    Zucal attended Penn State University and is a graduate of the Allentown Police Academy. He said he was encouraged to run by the citizens he interacts with on his beat.

    "I'm a very well known police officer and I consider myself a true leader. There's two types of people that run for office — politicians and candidates. I don't associate myself with being a politician. Those people make promises and don't keep them," Zucal said.

    Hanna held numerous ranks with Allentown police, including captain of the vice and intelligence unit, captain of the patrol division and assistant chief of police operations. Hanna was appointed chief in September 2013, and led the department until December of that year, when Chief Joel Fitzgerald was hired. Fitzgerald has since resigned.

    Hanna is a graduate of Moravian College, Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command, and the FBI National Academy. He touts his diverse experience, not only investigating crimes, but also supervising staff and handling budgets.

    "I'm comfortable with my management and leadership abilities, and I hope to bring a new day to the sheriff's department," Hanna said.

    Zucal and Hanna each said they gravitated toward law enforcement at an early age. Zucal became an EMT as a teenager. Hanna said he was influenced by his father's cousin, Charles "Chink" Charles, who served with Allentown police for 34 years, retiring as an assistant chief in the mid-80's.

    Sheriffs serve four-year terms. The 2016 to 2019 salary will be $66,300.

    Employees of the sheriff's office serve civil, criminal and protection-from-abuse documents and oversee sales of real estate. Deputies transport prisoners and provide security for the county's courtrooms and buildings, and apprehend bail jumpers and fugitives.

    The office issues permits to carry a concealed firearm. Both candidates said that's a topic that came up often on the campaign trail.

    Zucal, who is endorsed by Firearms Owners Against Crime, a nonpartisan political action committee, promised to maintain strict background checks for concealed carry permits. He said he also plans to establish a computerized system to make it easier for law enforcement officers out in the field to check whether someone has a valid permit.

    Hanna says he's in favor of streamlining the permit renewal process, possibly by allowing permit holders to renew online. But he said he's not sure that a new computer system like the one Zucal suggested is needed, since, by law, permit holders are supposed to have their permits on hand when they're armed.

    "The fact of the matter is, most people who carry a concealed weapon carry their permit with them," Hanna said.


    Zucal conceded that Hanna's resume is longer, but said that he believes degrees and certificates don't define a candidate. He takes issue with Hanna calling himself a former Allentown "Chief of Police" in campaign literature, saying "interim chief" is more accurate.

    "That's been a general misconception to the public throughout this campaign," Zucal said.

    Hanna denied trying to deceive voters, noting that he signed a legal document stating he was "Chief of Police," not interim or acting chief. City Clerk Michael Hanlon confirmed that in an email.

    Hanna said that even though his time wearing the chief's badge was short, he gained valuable experience, including managing staff and presenting the 2014 budget.

    Zucal and Hanna each said they plan to be an active member of the sheriff's department, and not just a name on an office door.

    "I plan to be in the office and in the courtrooms, to make sure my people are doing what they're supposed to and that the courthouse is secure," Zucal said.

    Hanna said the position of sheriff is too important to be viewed as a figurehead.

    "I think it's important for the people who work for you to know that they can depend on you, and that you realize what they deal with," Hanna said. "There's a degree of delegation, but you also have to have your finger on the pulse of day-to-day operations."

    Both candidates said community outreach is important. Zucal plans to start a gun accident prevention program for children. Hanna wants to create a program to help seniors avoid scams.

    To reduce liability and make the department more professional, Hanna said he'd establish better standards for hiring and promotion, and make sure the department earns state accreditation.

    Neither man faced a challenger in the primary election in May; Zucal got 8,876 votes, Hanna got 10,287.

    Both candidates are supported by big names in local politics. Rossi, the current sheriff, has lent his name to Zucal's campaign, while Hanna's campaign Facebook page has photos of him standing alongside District Attorney Jim Martin.

    Zucal said Rossi's support is important, since the sheriff is a household name in the Lehigh Valley. Rossi was a Pennsylvania state trooper before becoming an elected official, serving as a roving safety officer at area schools.

    "Obviously, those are very big shoes to fill, not that I'm trying to fill them," Zucal said. "I could not ask for a more influential person to endorse me."

    Hanna said Martin's name carries weight.

    "Jim has been the pinnacle of law enforcement here in Lehigh County for the last 18 years. I've known him not only as a boss, but as a prosecutor, and he's been committed to law enforcement and the support of all law enforcement agencies in the county and beyond," he said.
    Socialism is for the people, not the socialists - Andrew Wilkow

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    Lehigh, Pennsylvania
    (Lehigh County)
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    Default Re: Joe Hanna for Sheriff

    It seemed like a toss up for me until I read this 2012 comment from Hanna regarding an allentown gun buyback:

    "If we were able to develop a panacea, we wouldn't want any illegal guns on the street and any unregistered guns, so this is just a small step toward that," said Asst. Chief Joe Hanna, Allentown Police Dept.

    http://forum.pafoa.org/showthread.php?t=178512

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
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    Default Re: Joe Hanna for Sheriff

    He won. If you voted for him and later don't like something he implements try not to be too much of a crybaby. Especially here.

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