Election 2025: Fred Harran For Bucks County Sheriff

Candidates running in the Nov. 4 general election are providing background about themselves and their positions on the issues to voters in these profiles, which will run in Patch individually for each candidate.

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Two candidates are running for the job of Bucks County Sheriff. Democrat Danny Ceisler is challenging incumbent Republican Fred Harran. The job of sheriff involves executing court orders like arrest warrants and serving legal documents, providing security and prisoner transport for the courts, and managing tasks like firearms permitting and enforcing protection from abuse orders. The sheriff oversees more than 75 deputies who carry out these duties.

Biological Information

Name: Sheriff Fred Harran

Age: 61
Town of residence: Bristol Borough
Position sought: Bucks County Sheriff
What Towns Does Your Position Cover: All of Bucks County
Party Affiliation: Republican
Education: Arcadia University (B.A., Political Science), St. Joseph's University (Master of Science, Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration), Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command.
Occupation: Bucks County Sheriff

Questions

Why are you running for office?

I'm running for re-election because my dedication to public safety is a lifelong commitment, not just a role you can learn on the job. I have spent my entire adult life - 39 years - in law enforcement, serving the community. After serving as Director of Public Safety in Bensalem - the largest municipality in Bucks County - and, for the last four years, I’ve been honored to serve as your Sheriff.

We have made tremendous strides in the Sheriff’s Office, enhancing school safety by advocating School Resource Officers (SROs), implementing enhanced public safety and community engagement programs like our K9 Unit and Police Athletic League (PAL), and ensuring our highly-trained deputies are doing everything they can to keep local law enforcement on the streets of your neighborhood.

But that work is not finished. I'm running to continue leveraging my decades of experience to ensure Bucks County remains one of the safest places in the region to live, work, and raise a family.

Why are you the best person for the job?

Over a 39-year career of proven, hands-on law enforcement leadership, I’m not interested in politics - I’m focused on preventing the next victim. Unlike a politician, I am a trained police officer and administrator who has managed large departments, complex budgets, and critical incidents.

As Sheriff, I have a clear record of accomplishment. I’ve modernized our operations, created our K-9 unit, and implemented new programs to enhance safety in our schools. I’ve led the charge against drugs in our community - including supporting those in recovery - and ensured our deputies have the training and resources they need to handle mental health crises in our neighborhoods. Since taking office, we’ve reduced the outstanding warrant backlog I inherited by over 40% - all while clearing thousands of new warrants to get criminals off our streets and behind bars.

My experience as both a Director of Public Safety and as your Sheriff means I have established relationships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, which are crucial for a coordinated response to any threat. I don't need on-the-job training; I have been doing this work my entire life and am ready to continue leading from day one.

But don’t just take it from me. I’m proud to have been endorsed by every major law enforcement and first responder organization in the region. I’m particularly honored to have been endorsed by the Deputy Sheriff’s Benevolent Association of Bucks County which represents the very men and women I lead every day - the organization’s first-ever endorsement of a candidate for office.

What do you see as the biggest issue facing the office and how would you address it?

The single biggest public safety challenge we face is the devastating intersection of the opioid and drug epidemic and our growing mental health crisis. These are public health crises that fuel crime, shatter families, and strain our resources.

I’ve seen first hand over my 39 years in law enforcement that you cannot just arrest your way out of a problem like addiction. The old model of simply serving warrants and cycling people through the system is broken.

My response was to prove that a modern Sheriff's Office must tackle this head-on. We immediately implemented a comprehensive blueprint built on three pillars: Prevention, Enforcement, and Recovery.

1. Prevention & Outreach: We immediately established our SCOPE (Sheriff’s Community Outreach and Public Engagement) Unit to be proactive in engaging with those in crisis and getting them the support they need. We also launched the county's first-ever Police Athletic League (PAL) to give kids a safe environment and a positive path and expanded emphasis on School Resource Officers (SROs) to support individuals before drugs can ever become an option.
2. Vigorous Enforcement: We are relentless in holding those peddling this poison accountable. We've proven we can do this effectively: even while launching all these new community programs, we have successfully cleared thousands of warrants and reduced the county’s warrant backlog by 40%, getting dangerous criminals off our streets.
3. Recovery: This is the most crucial part, and it's personal for me. We cannot arrest our way out of addiction. Years ago, as Director of Public Safety in Bensalem, I initiated the BPAIR (Police Assisting in Recovery) program, which offered treatment instead of incarceration. It was so successful it has now been adopted county-wide by 23 police departments. We believe in "warm hand-offs," treating those who are struggling as "ill persons trying to become well," and connecting them directly with the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission and other partners.

To enact these public safety plans, our deputies deserve the county’s full support. That means staffing, training, and critical funding. I’m proud that our office is a state accredited agency and will shortly be nationally accredited by the gold standard of law enforcement credentialing, CALEA - the only Sheriff’s office in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with that designation.

One thing I do see as a possible issue moving forward is the politicization of law enforcement. While this is an elected position, there is no room for politics in the operations of a county-wide law enforcement agency. As Sheriff, I’m focused on one thing only: public safety. There is no room in this line of work for implementing radical, ideologically-driven polices like no-cash bail, ending mandatory minimums for violent crimes, and turning a blind eye to human trafficking by decriminalizing sex work. These failed policies would not only politicize the office, they would make our communities less safe.

What are your views on ICE?

My job as Sheriff is to ensure public safety and uphold the rule of law. That means getting those who have committed crimes in Bucks County off our streets and in front of a judge. As part of that core mission, my office cooperates with numerous federal law enforcement partners - from the U.S. Marshals to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

While it’s unfortunate politicians would like to muddy the water, our partnership with ICE is simple: When an individual has a warrant for a crime in Bucks County and has received their due process, we run their name through an immigration database to check their immigration status. If they are found to be in the country illegally, we honor detainers for those individuals in our custody. That’s it. This is a common-sense approach that fits within the scope and responsibilities of our daily mission and costs Bucks County taxpayers nothing.

To be very clear: my deputies are not, and will not be, street-level immigration agents. We do not conduct immigration sweeps, and we do not ask law-abiding residents about their immigration status. Anyone telling you otherwise is misinformed or intentionally misleading you - endangering our community and impeding the critical role of law enforcement.

This is a common-sense policy focused on removing criminals who pose a threat to public safety from our neighborhoods - regardless of immigration status. Our focus is, and always will be, on public safety for all.