Harran Talks About Safety, ICE, Harvie and the Media

Bucks County Sheriff Fred Harran has been sparring with the two Democratic commissioners who control Bucks County for several years, so it was no surprise they opposed his decision to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deport criminal illegal aliens.
But linking the state’s only Jewish sheriff to the rise of fascism in Hitler’s Germany? That, he concedes, was a bit unexpected.
During an extended podcast interview with DVJournal, Harran discussed his plan to join ICE’s 287 (g) program and help “get rid of people that are in this country illegally, that are committing crimes. That’s the key.”
He dismissed suggestions that his department would be rounding up random citizens as politically motivated nonsense.
“We don’t have black vans running around scooping people up,” said Harran. “We’re not going to pizza shops or going on calls or going to parks asking people for their identification (or) what country they’re from.
“I’m only interested in those folks that have warrants for their arrest (and who) have committed criminal activity in Bucks County. And I’m using immigration as just one small tool in the box of tools that we use in law enforcement.”
Harran said he’s discouraged by what he calls inaccurate reporting by the local media. What his office is actually doing “it’s not exciting, it’s not sexy, it’s not flashy. If you report the truth, no one wants to hear that, so they make up stuff.”
Asked about his quarrelsome relationship with Commissioners Bob Harvie and Diane Ellis-Marseglia, Harran said he would be happy to work with them.
“I don’t know why they’re against me,” said Harran. “The only reason, they are truly not interested in holding people accountable, incarcerating people. I believe that, and I’m fairly middle of the road.
“I believe people need help,” said Harran. I believe our mental health system is in crisis in this country, especially here in Bucks County,” said Harran. “I believe the drug problem is only getting worse and worse. And drugs need to be tackled three ways…It’s education, prevention and apprehension.”
At a recent Board of Commissioners meeting, Harvie talked about World War II and seemed to be comparing what was going on in Bucks County with the time before the war, when fascism took hold in Germany and Italy.
“I was stunned,” said Harran. The person next to him said, “‘He just compared you to Nazi Germany.’” Harran played the tape afterward, and “I’m like, ‘Oh my. He actually did.” He noted that Harvie’s remarks were “prefaced by 90 minutes of back-and-forth about immigration and people, even people in the audience, made comments.”
“And the fact that I’m Jewish even makes it more ironic. And you know what, Bob could have been a mensch…He could have been a man about it…he could have apologized without apologizing, and he could have gotten out of it with dignity. But instead, he doubled down.”
A spokesperson for Harvie released a statement denying that he compared Harran’s actions to fascism.
Asked about how the defund the police movement has changed law enforcement, Harran said, “You gotta be nuts not to want a safe community.”
When someone wants to buy a house, they look at whether the schools are good and safety, he said.
“Parks are great,” said Harran. “Street cleaning is great. Fixing potholes is great. All that stuff is great, but the first thing a person looks at when they move into the community…they look at schools, test scores and safety of the community.”