ALLENTOWN, Pa — Lehigh County Sheriff Joe Hanna announced Tuesday he will seek reelection next year.
Hanna, a former Allentown police chief, said in a news release that he will seek a third term in office. In the release, he highlighted how the county sheriff's department has achieved state accreditation under his watch.
- Lehigh County Sheriff Joe Hanna announced he will seek a third term.
- Hanna was unopposed the last time he faced the election in 2019.
- He is the first candidate to announce a bid for the sheriff's office for the 2023 race.
To become accredited, departments must submit to a lengthy outside review of their policies and procedures to ensure their employees follow best practices for law enforcement. Only about 10% of law enforcement departments across the state hold accreditation.
Sheriffs serve a unique niche in Pennsylvania law enforcement. They and their deputies are tasked with safeguarding county properties and courthouses, serving protection-from-abuse orders, transporting inmates, holding property sales to settle debts, pursuing fugitives and bail jumpers and processing concealed carry permits and other duties.
In Lehigh County, they have also collected and transported mail-in ballots from drop box locations.
No other candidate has announced a challenge to Hanna, a Republican, though it is early in the election cycle.
Unlike other Lehigh County row offices, competitive elections for sheriff are common. In 2019, when Hanna cross-filed, it was just the second time in 20 years that only one candidate ran.
