Candidate Profile 2021: Mark E. Lomax, Bucks County Sheriff

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Mark E. Lomax is the Democratic challenger for Bucks County Sheriff.

Lomax was a major with the Pennsylvania State Police for 27 years and was executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association for five years. He was endorsed by the Bucks County Democratic Committee over current sheriff Milt Warrell, whose bid for re-election failed.

Lomax's opponent is Fred Harran, a Republican and the current Director of Public Safety in Bensalem.

Age (as of Election Day)

62

Party Affiliation

Democratic

Family

No details

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BA Psychology/LaSalle University, MBA Management/Eastern University, MS Higher Education/Drexel University

Occupation

Pennsylvania State Police - Retired Major/27 years. Executive Director of the National Tactical Officers Association/5 years. Currently, police management consultant.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Warrington Township Supervisor

Campaign website

https://www.bucksunitedpa.com/

Why are you seeking elective office?

To ensure the safety of the Bucks County community.

The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

It is evident that as a nation, there is a growing divide between law enforcement and many of the communities they serve. Moreover, the men and women in policing are feeling more marginalized and unappreciated. Through my experiences, not only in policing but in academia and spending a year in Liberia, West Africa working for the United Nations, I will be a Sheriff who builds bridges that do not exist, mend those that do and bring stakeholders together to find common ground and solutions.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

From my early beginnings in the PA State Police, over 40 years ago, to where I am today, I have had a very blessed and fulfilling career. I was fortunate to have risen in the State Police, from a trooper at the Dublin Barracks to becoming the Director of the Bureau of Training and Education, overseeing the Academy in Hershey, PA, and all the training and education of the 6,500 personnel of the department. My State Police experiences provided me with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to manage and lead large organizations with integrity and honor. I then had other opportunities to work nationally and internationally. These experiences widen my exposure to working with people from various backgrounds. My degrees in business management, education, and psychology provided me with the theoretical foundation for my professional career.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

Currently, the Bucks County Sheriff's Office is not an accredited law enforcement agency. I will seek state and national accreditation. Accreditation, among other benefits, would establish and maintain standards that represent current professional law enforcement practices, increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the Office, and to establish standards that address and reduce liability for the Office and the county.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

There is a need to address mental illness and police encounters. I would expand the current Sheriff's Office Pathfinder Initiative to other Bucks County law enforcement/first responder agencies and collaborate with county mental health agencies, schools, and other stakeholders.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My several decades in law enforcement, local, state, national, and international, have provided me the technical skills to be Bucks County Sheriff. Additionally, as a township supervisor, I am the liaison to our police department, and understand the interactions between law enforcement, the communities, and local government.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Be humble

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As Sheriff, I would bring several decades of leadership, management, and supervision experience to the office. Moreover, I would bring my personal experiences of growing up in Philadelphia in the 1960s and 1970s during some very tumultuous times of bad relations between the police and communities of color. As a law enforcement consultant, I have been hired, nationally, as a subject matter expert on the use of force, racial profiling, civil unrest, and police management.