From Jeffrey R. Gahler:
February 20, 2014 / BEL AIR, MD – Today, Jeffrey R. Gahler officially filed as a candidate for the Office of Sheriff of Harford County, MD.
Having served over twenty-eight years with the Maryland State Police, Gahler is a career law enforcement professional who has dedicated his life to public service by ensuring the safety and security of Maryland families In his bid to implement an effective crime fighting platform that improves quality of life for Harford County residents, Gahler promises to restore integrity, ethics and fiscal responsibility to the Sheriff’s Office.
“I am beyond humbled by the trust and support that I’ve received throughout the campaign,” said Jeff Gahler. “Now more than ever, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office needs a transparent and effective law enforcement professional and my promise to the people of Harford County is that no one will work harder to ensure the safety of our families than me and my team.”
In 2010, as a first time candidate for elected office, Gahler won the Republican nomination and came within a few percentage points of winning the election for Sheriff. Since then, he has positioned himself as a formidable candidate to assume responsibility of the County’s public safety and has gained respect and support from citizens, law enforcement peers, government officials and lawmakers. Upon filing a formal notice of candidacy, the Gahler campaign received an official endorsement from Maryland State Senator Nancy Jacobs:
“With growing public safety challenges facing Harford County, the decision of who we entrust the safety of our children and loved ones to is incredibly important,” said Jacobs. “Jeff Gahler is a strong and formidable public safety professional who brings nearly three decades of law enforcement experience, clarity of thought and purpose to his work. He is a proven leader and perhaps most notably, he is a good listener and problem solver who comes to the table with open-minded solutions on how to solve complex public safety problems. The people of Harford will be best served by electing Jeff Gahler as Sheriff and this is why I am formally endorsing his candidacy.”
Jeff Gahler is a 37 year resident of Harford County and resides in the Forest Hill Community with his wife, Sonya, and their two daughters, Shelby and Sydney. He is a North Harford High School and Harford Community College graduate and obtained both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Management from Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Gahler is a member of the adjunct faculty within the Public Safety Leadership Program at the Johns Hopkins University and is an operating partner with the Advanced Leadership Consortium, a company committed to providing quality training and consulting services to public safety organizations and private businesses.
To learn more about Jeff Gahler and his campaign, readers are asked to visit www.gahlerforsheriff.com.
Very impressed with Mr. Gahler’s accomplishments and the fact that Senator Jacobs is supporting him is very telling. Looking forward to learning more about this young man!
I have seen and continue to see nothing but quality information and a purposeful campaign being run by Mr. Gahler. It is clear that he is the only candidate with a proven background and a plan of action for the future.
I was worried Jeff was going to miss the filing deadline and then there wouldn’t have been anyone worth voting for in the Sheriff’s race! Best of luck Jeff!
This is good for the Sheriff’s Office, the people that work there and especially for the citizens of Harford County.
With his career in law enforcement and a Master’s Degree in management, Jeffrey Gahler is THE best man for the job of Sheriff of Harford County. Mr. Gahler truly cares about the men and women that work for the citizens of Harford County. He will make a better work environment for them. This will also provide the citizens with an enhanced law enforcement agency. Thank you for your dedication to the safety of us and our children, Mr. Gahler.
His background definitely fits the needs of the Sheriff’s office. It is my hope that if elected, he will totally clean house with the inner circle. They need to go and hopefully not with golden parachutes.
Congratulations Mr. Gahler. I believe you are the person to rebuild the relationship and reestablish trust between law enforcement and the communities served by the Sheriff’s Office. Your confidence in the members of the Sheriff’s Office is reassuring as is your search for transparency, fairness, integrity, and service. Very best of luck to you!
John Ryan understands deputies needs and will make a great sheriff.
Have you seen John Ryan. Looks like he has eaten a few deputi.
Want to see what John Ryan can do for the deputies? Just go to youtube and type in DING FRIES ARE DONE to see Ryan at his full time job!
Haha is he registering to lose?
Gahler is not registering to lose. He has every intention of winning the office of Sheriff. He is a very formidable candidate with advanced education, a long honorable career in law enforcement and strong Harford County ties. He has the support of many voters in Harford. That is why we need everyone who has supported Sheriff Bane in the past to continue to work hard for his re-election. Sheriff Bane understands the politics of Harford County, and has put that experience to work when dealing with certain elements in our county, especially the Edgewood area. Gahler does not have this same relationship, and the African American community will not trust him like they trust Sheriff Bane. Sheriff Bane has worked very hard in gaining this trust and the African American community knows that they can contact him any time with their complaints and he will respond to them. This is the kind of thing that needs to be done to continue having the African American community trust you and extremely important to policing in Harford County. We don’t need to start over with a new Sheriff who does not currently enjoy that trust.
Do we have a black sheriff. Is our sheriff Jesse Bane or Clevon Little and does he like chicken?
So in other words, Bane has pandered to the AA community in Edgewood at the expense of the rest of the county. I have news for you, I happen to be a white male and don’t live in Edgewood and you just helped me make my vote count. Add one more for Mr. Gahler.
@Not from Edgewood
It is not pandering. It is called politics and the sooner all of our residents in the county understand that it is necessary to cooperate with those in the community who may represent the most serious law enforcement issue the better off we will be. Sheriff Bane understands this and has made significant advances in the Sheriff’s Office to demonstrate to the African American community that he understands their needs and is here for them. Just because he has provided several more initiatives for the black community does not mean he has done so at the expense to the rest of the community. In return, the African American community has rewarded him with their voting support. That’s the way politics works and we all benefit from what the Sheriff has done. He should be commended for his actions and re-elected to another four years.
@Reelect the Sheriff,
You are at least up front with your comments. So you believe Sheriff Bane has made significant “advances” in the Sheriff’s Office to signal the AA community that he is a person who can be trusted. Care to share with us what those advances are? You also say Bane understands their needs and is here for them. Exactly what are the needs of the AA community in relationship to the needs of the rest of the citizens of Harford County?
The significant advances that Sheriff Bane made to enhance his standing with the African American community were:
He promoted Lieutenant Presberry (the first African American and also a female) to the rank of Major and placed her in change of police operations. Although this action caused many ill feelings within the HCSO because she advanced to Major without ever serving as a Captain, Sheriff Bane stood up to the many deputies who expressed their dissatisfaction. This sent a strong signal to the black community that he was the Sheriff of all citizens in Harford County and was someone who would listen to their concerns.
Sheriff Bane has reached out to the African American community by attending the memorial services for members of that community who have been killed. He understands this reassures them that he is there for them. He has done this without regard to the criminal history of the deceased person. Some deputies have labeled this as “hug a thug” behavior on the part of Sheriff Bane, that somehow the Sheriff is embracing the criminal element, but that is not true. The Sheriff understands that even criminals and their family’s vote. He wants to include all citizens in this important process. He is the Sheriff to ALL citizens in Harford County.
Sheriff Bane has supplied many within the African American community with his personal telephone number so they can contact him without going through the normal process. Folks appreciate this and use this special access on an almost daily basis to keep the Sheriff informed of his deputies behavior. While this has led to many allegations and investigations about improper behavior that was later proven to be unfounded, it sends a signal to the community that the Sheriff cares about them as much as any other citizen. When a sizable number of our community felt that the HCSO didn’t support them it was important that the Sheriff make that extra step to gain their confidence. I know some will describe the Sheriff’s actions as coddling a particular segment of our community but it is nothing of the sort. Sheriff Bane is a true leader in recognizing the special needs of the African American community and he has responded to meet those needs.
There are many other instances that could be listed to show how Sheriff Bane has moved the HCSO forward and gained the confidence of the African American community, but those listed above are three of the most significant things he has done to prove his true leadership.
To sum these points up and show why Bane has handed this election to Mr. Gahler, Bane unfairly promoted an individual based on no more than the color of her skin, he attends funerals for criminals to gain black votes (now that is warped) and he allows his personnel to be second guessed and our safety jeopardized while people involved in criminal acts make personal calls to the sheriff’s cell phone! None of this is moving the Office forward and congrats Mr. Gahler! November cannot get here soon enough!
@Reelect the Sheriff,
Having the ability to force people to do things is power, not leadership. You describe a man with a power fetish and that is all. Leadership is also about being respected by those you lead and that is where Bane has gone way off track. There is nothing that you have written above that the majority of voters in this county will find to be examples of being a good or effective leader. I would hope that if Bane reads that and see what his supporters see in his actions, he might be smart enough to leave now.
Sheriff Bane understands that to be Sheriff you must first get elected. He also understands that in the last election which also included an African American candidate as Lt. Gov and this election will include the same person as the Gov candidate there will be a higher turnout of African American voters. It is smart to understand the reality of the process and admirable that Sheriff Bane has been able to gain the confidence of an otherwise distrustful segment of our community. There has never been a Sheriff in the history of Harford County who is as admired by the black community as Sheriff Bane. You can label it whatever you want, but leadership is about getting elected if you are seeking a political office. His standing with the African American community is just a bonus for his leadership.
Seriously? You think promoting an unqualified individual with a history of favoritism, bullying, and head hunting to a high level command staff position because that person is 1) black and 2) female; attending memorial services and candlelight vigils for convicted drug dealers who got murdered because of their criminal lifestyle; and passing his personal cell phone number around gang infested neighborhoods are good reasons for Bane to be sheriff?
I’m honestly not sure if you’re being serious or facetious.
Hank,
Of course it is serious…. and factual. Bane is the first Sheriff to make significant inroads with the African American community. If you don’t think that it is important to have the trust of, and a good working relationship with the very community that produces the most law enforcement activity then you don’t know much about policing. After the Sheriff’s first term, he realized he needed to do much more to gain the confidence of the African American community. He has taken the bold steps necessary to produce positive results. He now has many confidants in the black community that provide him lots of valuable information. This is a positive for all of us.
Bane tells you what you want to hear. He needs your vote to get re elected. If he has done so much for you why do you still have gangs and bodies hitting the ground in Edgewood. He only needs you every four years. Bane like Owebama need low information voters to stay in office.
Did Rush or Glenn Beck tell to say that Marc?
Reelect the Sheriff, Please be careful in your efforts to defend the Sheriff. You just called out an entire community on behalf of the Sheriff Bane. If you were to take a hard look and knew enough “about policing”; it is but a small, very small, number of people (of all ethnic backgrounds) that are responsible for the majority of the crime in Harford County. In communities that are more densely populated you can deduce that there will be more law enforcement activity. The more people in an area, the more need. The goal of the Sheriff should not have been to gain personal confidence or confidants, but to build collaborative and productive partnerships with many to ensure the safety and security of all. You make it appear as though the Sheriff is engaged in a conspiracy – not the good kind. One has to be a bit suspect of your comments, the way you profiled a particular group, and your statement of how the conspiracy benefits us all.
I said his efforts to gain the trust of the African American community was a positive for us. You used the word conspiracy. At no time did I ever use the word conspiracy.
My point is that Sheriff Bane understands politics. When he gains the trust of people they will vote for him. That benefits all of us. The black community trusts him and they also vote for him. They help put the Sheriff over the top and that helps everyone in Harford County.
You are right he understand politics and plays the game well. He knows little about being a cop or treating people fair. Bane stands on your back to get over the top and win the election and then back to things as usual. He uses the race card like every other democrat. How many finger printings and back ground checks did he pay for you and your group out of one of the funds within the department? I mean he order it paid for.
When you compete for a political office you do what it takes to get elected. Sheriff Bane understands that and it is nothing to be ashamed of. You can’t do good for the people if you don’t get elected.
I have no idea what you are talking about when you ask about finger printings and background checks. Please explain what that is all about.
It’s all over Eaton. Even you have shown support for the jack of all trades john Ryan. Bane wins easily over Howard Walter.
Wow!! I cant believe what I am reading!! “leadership is about being re-elected”….”when you compete for political office you do whatever it takes to get elected”?? never mind who ever you choose to vote for….its ideologies like this that continue to separate ONE community of Harford county from the several other communities of the county! Reelect….you seem to think that a small community in the county is more important than the rest?? apparently your idea of leadership is very skewed….and fyi…a majority of the sheriffs office, boots on the street, haven’t seen much leadership in the past couple years!
@ Amusing
You probably think that Gahler would have been a better leader than Bane. We will never know because he didn’t get elected last time and he won’t get elected this time. Political office is FIRST about getting elected. What is it about that you don’t understand? When Sheriff Bane embraces a certain segment of our community to seal the deal on getting elected, this shows his knowledge of how our county works. Some people posting on this forum have suggested that Peck and Ryan are nothing more than puppets for Bane to try and pull votes away from Gahler so that Bane wins. My point to you is; so what? A campaign for election is first and foremost about winning the election. You can’t lead the HCSO from the sidelines if you don’t get elected Sheriff.
And no, a small community in the county is not more important than the rest. But without their support you don’t win the election and then you can’t do good for all the rest.
@reelect,
That pandering and playing voters as fools only works if the minority community and the voters as a whole don’t know they are being used. Many in Edgewood know Bane has nothing but his cell phone number to the table and many many more who have supported Bane in the past have cut their ties. Top that with your postings, Bane better start packing his office.
Let’s hope you are correct with your assessment. Looking at how the voters have reacted in the past several elections does not give me hope that the right person will be selected. I voted for Jesse Bane seven years ago, so you might say I was one of those voters who didn’t know they were being used. He lost me as a supporter after his first four years, but he didn’t lose enough voters and was reelected. I do know that several more have joined me in my thinking that Sheriff Bane needs to be replaced, but I’m not as convinced as you that it will in fact happen.
Is John Ryan still in the race?
John Ryan is a candidate. He was never in the race!
I support anybody but Bane. I am friends with Jeff and John. I have given no one money or helped in the campaign. Union Boss, new name for Monster.
Do you mean that Sheriff Bane used our tax dollars to pay for criminal background checks for PRIVATE companies????? Isn’t that a violation of State and, possibly, Federal law and the loss of privileges the Sheriff’s Office computer system that is tied to State and Federal databases? Why is he allowed to get away with this crap?
@Md Patriot, yes. This can be backed up with facts. This was brought up in the last election but when the Sleagis and Sun won’t look into anything involving a democrat what can you do?
The Pat Paulsen of Harford County Politics.
Great news. Now we will have something to read everyday for the next nine months. Mr. Gahler’s will attack the current Sheriff and his family members and support staff will all chime in here to tell us how great he is. So far 7 out of 10 comments tell us how great he is.
Now I see why there is so much banter on here trying to tear this guy down. He has accomplished way too much and obviously would be a good fit for Sheriff, so let’s beat him down for being a good person.
I can’t wait for the election to be over. I’m tired of looking at all of the Blowhard’s signs.
I’m with you on that Mary. I’ve seen those Bane for Sheriff signs myself.
Gahler is still in bed with Howard and Teresa Walter. Exactly why we should get the politics out of the Sheriff’s office. You have some disgruntled former trouble maker looking for a new job for himself or his main squeeze, and so Gahler turns into the messiah for our times with his disciples trying to get back in the HCSO. Didn’t work last couple of times he tried, won’t work this time either.
Sources in the State Police think the deputies will not support Howard Walter.
And there would be no reason for them to support Mr. Walter. He is not a candidate for Sheriff and the Deputies I talk with say Mr. Walter has no intention of returning to the HCSO in any capacity. Likewise for his wife who is the current Havre de Grace Chief of Police. Both Walter and his wife had long distinguished careers in the HCSO, retired and moved on to other things.
Mike Welsh: You hit the nail square on the head! I posted a reply to Not So Sure but, it ended up directly below your reply. Sorry, it is NOT directed at you.
MW: You might want to ask Mr. Walter why he is telling people, that he considers his “Personal Confidants”, that his wife will be “Number 2”. Does a “Distinguished Career” include getting “Commendations” for actions that would be considered in the “Line of Duty” for a male officer or having the physical requirements for “Speciality Units” changed to facilitate “Ones Lack of Abilities”.
If his wife is going to be number two it will be announced by Gahler prior to the election. Gahler has stated that he will make this information public prior to the election. If Gahler does not make the information public then he will have to live with the consequences of the misinformation, whatever that may be.
North County Five: Surely the Deputies truly don’t believe that stuff? If so, they’ve been brain-washed and that would really surprise me. I would have thought they would “investigate” those lies to find out for themselves. It shouldn’t be too hard….they do those things for a living. Another unfounded rumor.
Stop with the Dr. Goodblood Resuscitator Enema Bellows, already! Unless you have substantial, factual PROOF of what you are claiming, stop slandering Mr. Gahler. Your statements about Mr. Gahler are so far from the truth and, you are making yourself look pretty stupid. Could it be that you are one of the disgruntled employees, current or former, that you referred to and were promised a position by one of the opposing candidates? So, here you are trying to blow smoke up everybody’s butt………
I met Mr. Gahler @ the Harford Mall when he had a booth there and spoke to him for a long time. He had some very good ideas regarding safety and the Harford Co.community in general. After some of Mr. Bane’s screw ups Mr. Gahler seems like a excellent choice for sheriff.
Baltimore County Police Department.
Otto Schmidlap still has your odds at 8-1.
Bane is a Hippocrate who does not appreciate what you do for him or care about his people he promoted an AA female at the Detention Center to the rank of Major who had a long term and and continuous relationship with a Convicted CDS user seller who was also suspend for filing false leave and payroll documents and lost 300,000.00 in a billing of the state for inmates housed in the facility. So he must not even look into the personnel files of his people if they are of a a certain race. Hopefully Gahler will restore some of the honor to the agency that has been lost under the last 8 years of the. Bane administration..
The word is “Hypocrite” unless you were trying to channel some sort of medical term.
Cheese is as cheese does
What about the helicopter?
Old Skool: I was told that Baltimore County PD helicopter is still responding to requests for searching assistance by the Sheriff’s Office.
Was “Photo Shop” used to remove his puppet strings in this photo? —
Because Mr. Gahler can’t make a decision without getting permission from Howard Walter!
Well, you should know, after all, you’re The Puppet Police!
Peck has filed as an independent in General Election. My prediction is that he pulls enough from Gahler or Ryan to protect Sheriff Bane. We all remember Ross Perot helping Clinton beat Bush. Will happen in harford on a smaller scale. Just my prediction.
I met Mr. Peck about six months ago and he told me he was a republican candidate, I saw him at the republican women’s meeting with his wife saying what great republicans they are and now he has turned coat? Hopefully people realize he is not a man of his word.
Bill, That is an interesting observation Bill. Also, Ralph Nader pulled votes away from Al Gore against GW. Has Mr. Peck definitely filed? There are many citizens fed up with the Republican and Democratic nonsense. Mr. Peck has the opportunity to really make a statement. Exciting.
Only if that statement is, “look at me, I am a republican pretending to be an independent on a leash by a democrat.” Peck is now the standing joke of many people and has upset many others that believed his lies about being dedicated to the party and bringing change to the sheriff’s office.
We need no parts of Peck. He is no leader and can’t even be his own man. You talk about someone being a puppet, watch Bane pull Peck’s strings and make him dance!
Ok Jeff, Bob.
If Bob Peck is not indebted to any political party than he has my vote. Why would you want a sheriff beholden to the Republican Establishment and the cronyism that takes place in Harford County? Someone should really look into Mr. Gahlers ties to the Republican Good Ole Boys network. I guess the same goes for Mr. Bane.
Okay Bob. You tell it like it is. Sold out on your supposed principles. Shameful!
If this is true I cannot express my level of shock and disgust at Mr. Peck’s actions. I met him and his wife at a GOP dinner and really liked them. I looked forward to hearing more about his plans but now would not consider him ever for any office he ever hopes to hold. He has not only embarrassed himself but me and many others who believed what he had to say.
Still waiting for Gahler to say specifically what he is actually going to do to “improve my quality of life”? Restoring integrity, ethics and fiscal responsibility – blah blah blah….. the same empty suit stuff every candidate says whenever they run for anything. A campaign press release full of generalities and buzz words is nice but what is he going to do different besides replace the Bane supporters with his own? I looked at his website – it doesn’t say anything of substance about his plan. If he actually has a plan then lets see it! If he just needs a job I’d prefer that he just say that.
Do not underestimate how that brings out the Republican voters. Having no plan and pointing out what is wrong is a party platform for them.
I don’t know about you, but Sheriff Bane’s plan seems to be one of promoting unqualified personnel to senior leadership positions, coddling the black community to get their votes and taking revenge on his employees if he believes that they supported another person for the office of sheriff. Quite frankly, I don’t know how that benefits us as the taxpaying citizens of Harford County.
Whether you believe it or not, Sheriff Bane has lost most of the support he enjoyed from his employees when he first ran for Sheriff. He is no longer an effective leader. I voted for Jesse Bane the first time he ran because it was my belief that his long career in the HCSO qualified him to be Sheriff. I did this even though several long time Deputies told me that Bane was a terrible leader/manager who held personal grudges and would eventually cause dissension within the HCSO. After his first four years in office I was acutely aware of exactly what they were talking about. I did not support his bid for reelection. After he was reelected he has created an even worse work environment than he did in the first four years. Mr. Bane is a good politician, but that’s where it ends. We need more than that as the Chief Law Enforcement officer in Harford County, and the employees of HCSO deserve much better than they currently have for senior leaders.
Well done Mike. See Jesse had a plan (no matter how bad) and all you have is a finger to point. Now if you had a plan to fix things and prove to everyone how it will work that would maybe, get someone other than Jesse elected. Unfortunately it’s just a campaign of finger pointing at existing problems and no fixes. Thanks for helping explain it.
@BillH
What would you like to hear from Mr. Gahler? Would you like to hear that he will not promote unqualified people to senior commander rank? Want to hear him say that he will not take political revenge against anyone who supported Bane, Ryan or Peck? Want to hear him say that he will not tolerate workplace harassment from anyone, especially his senior commanders? Want to hear him say that he won’t pander to a particular segment of our community just to garner their vote? Feel free to attend any of his meet and greet community meetings and ask him yourself. He is an easy man to talk to and is more than willing to answer your questions.
The point was, whatever plan Sheriff Bane has it doesn’t seem to be working, except for those things that are negative. That’s why his rank and file employees have turned against him. Feel free to sit down with the Correctional Officers and listen to them tell you how the DC is being managed. They are more willing to talk than the LE officers since the CO’s don’t have that much to lose. Their life is already hell.
Gahler has already established what he would do if he were Sheriff. He has posted those thoughts several times both here on the Dagger and in the Aegis. He has also run a previous campaign and is on the record from that campaign regarding how he would approach policing in the county. He has stated how he would find more officers to man patrol positions rather than expand the bureaucracy. But if you really want to be told what Gahler would do as Sheriff, feel free to go to his web site and click on contact us to post your questions. You can get the information right from the man himself.
I would suggest Mr Gahler get the word out what he is planning to do, I don’t know it and no one else in Harford county I have talked to does either. Can’t find it on his website and I’m supposed to look up old articles or search the information out? All I can find is finger pointing and belly aching and that doesn’t impress me.
I would also suggest very clear and bold statements on exactly what will be done. Like I’m going to reassign 5 upper level officers to street duty or I will hire so and so to run the detention center Name names, make the policies we can expect very clear, this mealy mouth BS isn’t going to get anyone other than Jesse elected.
Mike Welsh when did you become the spokesman for the Gahler campaign? Sounds like you are lobbying for a job. Where is Gahler going to put you, Howard & Teresa Walter and the rest of his caravan?
Well, that’s my point to Bill. I am not a spokesman for Gahler nor do I intend to become one. Want to know what Gahler stands for? Ask Gahler. I am pointing out that he is available if you want to know. I have said before that I am not necessarily supporting Gahler, but I am NOT supporting Bane. At the moment Gahler looks better than Ryan or Peck, but that’s because he has campaigned before. It’s a long time to November, much more information should be available from all candidates between now and then.
Mike the point here is, only Mr Gahler knows where he stands on the issues, it’s not up to me to ask the right questions… it’s up to him to win the votes by educating the voters which he is not doing.
@BillH
Bill, all of the people who were at Mr. Gahler’s meet and greet just this past week or so would disagree that he is not educating the voters.
When he speaks at the various community groups that exist, those folks in attendance would disagree that he is not educating voters.
When he sets up information booths at the mall, farm fair, etc., those who availed themselves of the information would disagree.
When he prints up information pamphlets and passes them out door to door along with mailings, those folks who receive them would disagree that he is not informing them of his thoughts on being Sheriff in Harford County.
When he writes letters to the Dagger and Aegis stating his position on actions taken by the current Sheriff and how he would have managed the situation differently, those people who read those letters, would disagree.
You are absolutely correct about promoting unqualified people to senior positions. I found one in particular who has worked on community -related committee work to be unimpressive. What was worse, he seemed to go out of his way trying to ruin others’ careers by spreading false information. In his professional, how stupid can one be to subject himself and the office to the risk of legal action for slander.
Mike Welsh: You owned up to your mistake in voting for Bane the first time and I admire that. You are correct in every word that you have written above and I support your train of thought, as well. Thank you.
My questions about Gahler V. Bane have nothing to do with Democrat V. Republican I don’t see where party affiliation has much to do with the office in question. I happen to know both men and have no personal objection to either, I just want to learn what Gahler is going to do besides shuffle the command staff to reward his supporters and change the name on the door to the big office.
If whoever is the new Sheriff does nothing more than reestablish a fair, impartial, free of harassment in the workplace environment it will be a significant improvement.
Every Sheriff after Kunkel has been trashed by whoever wanted THE job or a job in HCSO. Moyer, Meadows, Coomes, Mele, Golding. Rat shot himself in the foot but otherwise was a good guy. So now Bane – who served the county for years is trashed. Gahler, gets elected, more power to him. He’ll screw up something and somebody who wants his job will make him out to be son of Satan. Then when that person wins Gahler will get a nice pension and his minions will be scrubbing the toilets in the detention center. The joy of having a Sheriff’s office instead of a police force.
Since you bring up former Sheriff Kunkel, a man who served approximately 16 years with distinction, I would like to add that Sheriff Kunkel has attended several Gahler fundraising events and appears to be fully supporting Gahler in his campaign for Sheriff. If you really want to know what’s wrong in the current HCSO Administration, feel free to ask former Sheriff Kunkel, he will be happy to tell you!
By the way, I have not read anything published by Gahler that “trashes” Sheriff Bane. Most of the information that could be considered as “trashing” of Sheriff Bane appears to be coming from his employees…. the Deputies!!
BINGO! You are right on the money with your opinions regarding the incumbent Sheriff, as well as Mr. Gahler!! It amazes me, and I’m sure it does you, as well, that the people on this blog that are writing detrimental crap about Mr. Gahler are just trying to stir up the pot by creating rumors and believing the rumors that they “hear”. No doubt they are Democrats because that is what they do best……make up lies and go on the offensive. What I read when Mr. Gahler submits articles to The Dagger and The Patch is educational to the public and is making them aware of the correct methods of managing personnel and creating a work environment that makes the Deputies and Correctional Officers proud to go to work. This, in turn, will also provide more efficient dedicated service to the public. This is a proven method that works without vindictiveness and “ruling” with fear tactics, as the incumbent Sheriff has always done. The Deputies and Correctional Officers will not speak up because of the incumbent’s methods of operation. By the way, I am not Mr. Gahler, or Mr. or Mrs. Walter but, I believe in him and his desire to make the Sheriff’s Office the proud agency it once was.
Not so sure haven’t really seen that much on a Harford County police force. Until that happens I love the dynamic of a three party race. The independent libertarian movement is gaining strength and should definitely help Bob Peck. Seems like Jeff Gahler has tied his wagon to the Craig republicans which really seem out of favor. Jesse Bane seems to draw from both parties. Who knows?
Here’s the thing, politics and police work are a horrible and toxic combination. Remember, this is all just a champaign. It’s people telling us what they think we the people want to hear. Qualifications, professional and scholastic backgrounds and platforms are just that. The only, and I truly mean the only proof that any candidate is competent for the job is execution while in office, otherwise words are just words, every promise is empty and any guarantee made is unattainable. I would love for the hcso to improve under a new sheriff, for the community and road and jail deputies alike but, I don’t know who’s right for the job or could things even be improved without a complete overhaul in the department. And by overhaul I don’t just mean getting some people out of there, I mean a hcso culture overhaul too. Members of the department would know exactly what I mean. Here’s to hoping the right guy gets the job and does the right thing while in office.
You all realize that “reelect the sheriff” is not actually promoting Banes right? He is an obvious troll who is just stirring the pot with lies and emotion to slam Banes. Dirty tricks politics at it’s finest. Welcome to the internet.
I will say that I was wondering if he was really a Bane supporter or not, but what he is saying are not lies.
@Watcher
Damn right I am supporting Sheriff Bane. Exactly what have I said that is a lie?
It is time that people understand how real politics work, especially here in Harford County. I’m tired of hearing all this “hug a thug” crap from all of the deputies who think that they are compromised in doing their job by the Sheriff just because Bane has embraced the African American community by attending memorial services for their children, or giving his personal cell phone number to many in the black community. Do they call him? Of course they call him, almost daily. Why do you think he gave them his number. This is the price of doing successful politics in Harford.
Did Sheriff Bane promote a black female Lieutenant to Major. Absolutely. You may take issue with me about why he did it, but you can’t deny that he did it. He didn’t even require that she serve in the grade of Captain, the grade between Lieutenant and Major. Many of the deputies resent this and some have accused her of having an inappropriate relationship with a deputy who is very junior in rank to her. This is just sour grapes coming from deputies who have suffered her wrath when she disciplined them because they were not doing their job properly.
I keep saying to people that you can’t be the Sheriff if you don’t get elected. Getting elected is first and foremost if you are running for a political office. You should not tell lies, but for anyone to say that you should not make promises to people or groups of people to get their vote is just ignorant. Of course you make deals. Sheriff Bane knows what it takes to get elected and he makes deals to improve his probability of being elected. What’s wrong with that?
@ Reelecting the Sheriff
I just finished reading all of these posts and have made an observation. You are a very cleaver political player. You post under the auspicious guise of supporting Sheriff Bane. You are clearly in bed with Mr. Gahler and his mouth piece Mike Welsh. Nice try but you have been exposed. You purposely post material designed and orchestrated for the purpose of infuriating would be Bane supporters and baiting people to respond. You open the door and they walk right in. You actually help Mike Welsh and others delivery their anti-Bane messages shielding them from any allegations of any type of bias. I strongly encourage all readers to discount any of the posts in this article made by “Reelect the Sheriff”. Vote for whom ever you want but give Bane some credit. He is by no means a stupid man and is certainly familiar with the dos and don’ts of the political arena. Again, nice try Gahler camp.
Your comments are very interesting. I guess you could be correct that the comments are not really posted to support Sheriff Bane. The comments are certainly not laudatory on behalf of Bane.
I agree that voters should vote for the person they believe to be the best candidate for the position. One troubling thing however is that what “Reelect the Sheriff” has said appears to be the truth, even if he didn’t say it very eloquently.
@BS Detector
You are right about Sheriff Bane not being a stupid man, and he understands the dos and don’ts of the political arena in Harford County. That’s exactly what I have said. Bane is very politically astute. He knows what it takes to get elected in this county and he makes the commitment to get the votes. What’s not to like about that?
So you think I’m in Gahler’s camp. I re-read my comments and I don’t see anything I said other than in support of Sheriff Bane. I’m not on here to impress people with my writing skills. I agree that my writing is not the greatest. I’m here to tell the truth and get our Sheriff re-elected. You should do the same…. tell the truth and work to get Bane re-elected.
@ Reelect the Sheriff, Mike Welsh, or other faithful Gahler supporters. Please cease and desist this charade. Your organization has to return to the drawing board to come up with new and more innovated strategies. You got busted on this one. Please don’t attempt to further insult the intelligence of the readers or the voters of the County.
@BS Detctor,
Very good post. I haven’t checked the Dagger in a while. I posted a previous response to a Reelect the Sheriff (John Ryan article) and now that I think of it I got sucked right in by Mike Welsh and the Gahler Gang. Basically the post by RTS insulted the community of Edgewood and the AA people. In my post I asked him if he had fallen an bumped his head to make such a disingenuous statement about the people of Edgewood and the AA community. The post was made to appear that it was from the Bane camp but was designed to piss off people who might be considering him. I think it was dirty politics by the Gahler people or at least a Gahler supporter. I hope that the entire Edgewood and AA community become aware at what was attempted. It appears that someone who is supporting Gahler is totally insensitive both to the AA community as a whole and the community of Edgewood. I hope the Gahler people pay the ultimate political price at the polls. At least Bane, Ryan, and Peck keep it clean and leave race and social standing out of it. Thanks BS Detector for exposing very dirty and harmful politics.
The only person insensitive to the AA Community is Jesse Bane who separates levels of service and unfair promotions to individuals based on nothing but skin color. Last time I checked that is called racism and like every good racist, the best place to hide is in plain sight. Those that are receiving special treatment are not complaining and those being victimized are too afraid to complain. All this and you say Bane is keeping it clean and leaving race and social standing out of it?!?!?!?!
Deputy Dog: What you said makes total sense and brings everything into perspective! Thank you! The citizens do not know just how the incumbent Sheriff operates inside the Sheriff’s Office but, he is an excellent schmoozer outside of the Sheriff’s Office. It’s a shame, and a detriment to the citizens of Harford County, that the local newspapers are in his back pocket and will not print the truth!
@Deputy Dog
Your response fell way short of justifying or rationalizing a very blatant attack on a large group of people, by an apparent Gahler supporter. Why don’t you attempt to explain the former posts made by RTC, which were posted by an obvious Gahler supporter who was representing themself as a Bane guy. This poster insulted a big group of people and you try to put it back on Bane. I don’t think you proved a thing. I hope that the voters will see exactly what kind of people they are dealing with and will vote accordingly.
Look who is running Gahler’s campaign, do you expect anything different. Chuck Moore would have run things differently.
I’m curious, just who is running Gahler’s campaign?
@MDPatriot
Interesting that you bring up the newspaper. If some of these suspicions are true, the readers would probably be interested in some of the interesting points made by “BS Detector” about the way the AA and Edgewood community is being depicted by what appeared to be a Gahler supporter posting erroneously as a Bane person. I hope Councilman Guthrie is reading these and other posts and properly informs his constituents. I also hope that Otto (the odds maker) has been reading these posts. Gahler will probably be blown out in District “A” after the word gets out about some of these hurtful posts. Then you have Mr. Peck running as an Independent. If he comes out strong he can pull a lot of votes…mostly from Republicans. Going to be fun to watch!
@BS Dector
I fail to see how being recognized by Sheriff Bane as an important segment of our community is in any way being insensitive to the African American community. If you believe that giving your personal cell phone number to activist members of the black community is insensitive to them then you and I will just have to disagree with one another. Why shouldn’t they have the Sheriff’s cell phone number? He is their Sheriff just like he is yours, and almost all of them vote for him. Sheriff Bane is a smart politician and deserves to be elected to another term, and I believe just like the two previous elections, the African American community will put him over the top.
Would YOU give your cell phone number to gang-bangers? Stop twisting the facts to make your boy look good. The Deputies are in fear of their jobs if they speak out and tell the truth.
@2outof3,
I didn’t comment about the post from RTS because who knows what he or she is up to? Might be a Bane supporter since the comments are pretty much accurate, might be a Gahler supporter trying to get Bane’s activities notices, might be Peck or Ryan supporter trying to make Gahler’s campaign look like they are subversive? We can speculate all day, but I doubt RTS is going to admit the motivation behind the posting. What I do know is that Bane has done what is said and has to live with it, Gahler has stood up for himself and does not need RTS to press his points and Peck and Ryan have made no public comments on anything. So who do I suspect might be behind these posts? You can guess.
@UnionBlue
Talk to some troopers who worked at the barrack under Lt. Moore. He talks alot about how great he is, but you won’t find troopers who agree with him. He is charge happy, self absorbed and totally spineless. Don’t know what happened between him and Gahler, but Jeff was smart to get him off his team.
I support Sheriff Bane plain and simple. What I have said is the truth. There is nothing that I have said for which Sheriff Bane should be ashamed of or should reflect in a negative way on him as a man who is concerned about ALL of Harford County. He has made significant inroads with the black community to gain their trust. He understands that they vote and he wants their vote. Why some folks think this is wrong is beyond belief.
Realcop, That certainly isn’t the Chuck Moore I know. I’ll let him know about your Dagger Post. I’ve not heard that before. Those remarks are certainly strong. I got the impression that Howard Walter and his know it all wife had much to do with Chuck Moore leaving. The sheriff union certainly has led credence to the negative Walter aroma.
He doesn’t embrace you, he stands on you’re shoulders every four years. Just like all democrats do. They have been fighting the war on poverty for 50 years. Either this is impossible to fix or these guys are real idiots. From the looks of Owebama and OweMalley I am going to go with complete idiots. Say what you want about Meadows, but when the gang problem started it was taken care of. It has been six years and it has only gotten worse under Bane. If Edgewood is so safe why don’t you go out tonight and stroll through Edgewater Village or Meadowood or what ever they call it now. Ask Bane when was the last time he did anything thing at night in these areas? Meadows use to go out when we would go in and do sweeps in these areas. Keep being Bane’s peeps, look around and ask what he has done for the gangs and crime in the last six years in the lower end of the County? If this was going on in Fallston it would already be “Mission Accomplished”.
Deputies will decide this election again. Don’t know enough about Peck. Know why not to vote for Ryan. Won’t vote for Walter/Gahler. We know what we have with Bane and he will be elected again. Its really that simple.
@fakeTrueBlue,
Nice, using my handle. You must be Bane since you are not competent enough to even invent your own screen name.
True blue. Sorry brother in arms. Didn’t know that handle was taken. Sounds like you see if differently. The deputies definitely support what they know Jesse Bane.
Time will tell soon enough but I think Bane has burned every bridge that got him to where he is. I don’t think he will have the support he has had previously.
True Blue, I agree that even with Howard Walters presence, Gahler may present a challenge. Walters influence is clear with those he is related to the department. Many of us don’t want to see more of Howard, Teresa, or previous department officers.
Help me understand why Ms. Walter would want to leave her position as Chief of Police for the city of Havre de Grace to work for Mr. Gahler if he were to become Sheriff? I feel like I’m really missing something here.
She is doing a great job here in Havre de Grace and everyone I know thinks she is a great Chief of Police. We would not want to see her leave.
@Barbara,
You don’t need hep to understand because my belief is that you are 100% correct and that Chief Walters will stay at HDG where she is loved. Gahler is such a strong candidate that they cannot find anything to attack him on, so they attack his friends and supporters.
Hey DAGGER, what happened to and thumbs up thumbs down buttons?
Who cares……the comments are funny enough.
People were gaming the system. Surprise surprise. This has been mentioned before.The trolls for Gahler love apearing multiple times from different IP addresses so they can vote as many ups and downs as they like. And they complain about Wendy Rosen.
There may have been some people doing that but I don’t think it was as pervasive as you might think. The thumbs up thumbs down gave an opportunity for readers to have a degree of input without actually posting a comment. That is the idea with this kind of medium – audience participation, without which sites like this die. I think this will result in decreased readership and participation which will hurt DAGGER in the long run.
Mike Welsh: The Deputies supported Bane the last election but, not for the reason of the “best person to lead the Sheriff’s Office”.
I have no problem with having not having a “like” or “dislike” option. However, I always believed a persons comments/thoughts should have remained posted for all to see regardless of the likes or dislikes.
I also agree with another posters comments that the Deputies will play a large part in determining the election outcome. They always do. They seem to work hard in support of who they believe would be the best person to lead the HCSO, and I believe that after the primary they will again do so this year.
I am looking forward to hearing much more from the candidates leading up to the general election.
Because says: What you just proposed is an old trick used by the core Democrats in their attempts to twist the truth, as your Sheriff, Governor and President do, in order to get their sheeple to follow them…..even if it is over the cliff. Sad, very sad.
If Teresa Walter leaves HDG to be Gahler’s #2, then she still collects an HDG pension? another reason the sheriff’s dept should be turned into paper servers and bring on a county pd. Naysayers always talk about creating an extral layer of govt. I say nonsense. the administrative savings in getting rid of 3 municipality police forces would certainly cover the cost of a tiny sheriff’s office. Baltimore County is the gold standard – Harford should come out of Andy Griffith days – and catch up with BCPD- we need to take the politics and spoils system out of the sheriffs office.
Balt. County is the gold standard??? What a laugh. They have an appointed chief of police who dances to the tune of a county executive that has no law enforcement experience at all. If you think there are no politics with an appointed chief, you are clueless.
If a Harford County police department were formed why would the municipalities give up their PD’s and the ability to have their own agencies? This was proposed once before by a previous county executive and went nowhere. If fact, forming a county police department doesn’t even get rid of the Sheriff’s Office. Aside from Baltimore City (which has it’s own PD) what incorporated municipalities are in Baltimore County without a police department? And yes, Baltimore County has a Sheriff and a Police Chief.
RealCop is correct. If you believe having a county police department would eliminate politics within the law enforcement agency, you really are clueless. The only politics it would eliminate is the ability of the citizens of Harford County to choose their primary law enforcement leader.
Thumbs Up!
There are no Incorporated Municipalities in Baltimore County.
There’s plenty of politics going on the BCPD (whether you’re talking county or city.)
The only difference really is that instead of having a sheriff pandering directly to the voters you have a chief pandering to the county exec or mayor.
And I doubt you’ll see Bel Air, Aberdeen, or Havre de Grace willingly give up their departments in favor of a countywide police force. As it stands now each of them can put however many officers they want on the street within their jurisdictions. Giving up their police forces and making a countywide police department would most likely reduce how many officers they have actually in town.
It also will not save the county any money. Instead of having just a sheriff’s office we’ll have a sheriff’s office and the all the associated bureaucracy (though obviously this HCSO would be smaller than the current HCSO) along with a police department and all it’s associated bureaucracy (which probably would only be slightly smaller than what the HCSO is now.)
We’ll be paying for:
Sheriff & Police Chief (both of which with salaries well into the 6 figures)
Under-sheriff & Asst. Chief (both prob having salaries over 6 figures)
Various majors (not sure how many exactly, but it’ll be more than Harford County currently has and most of them make 6 figures or close to it)
Various captains (again, most likely more than we currently have and they’ll all prob be making in then $80k-$90k range)
Plus a new HQ building. The sheriff’s office and police department would not be operating out of the same location.
Completely new uniforms, badges, repainting the entire vehicle fleet, etc.
And so on, though the further down the chain you get the less change there’ll be.
Who is Howard Walter?
What a ridiculous comment to make!