There are two candidates seeking their party's nomination to replace longtime Lehigh County Sheriff Ron Rossi, who chose not to seek re-election to the office he has held since 1992.

Allentown Police Sgt. Ed Zucal, a Democrat, is a 24-year veteran of the Allentown Police Department and a 21-year veteran with the Lehigh County Coroner's Office and Forensics Center.

Zucal, a sergeant in charge of the department's traffic division, is the department's hit and run investigator.

His duties include overseeing the Hamilton Mall Bicycle Officers and the Traffic Patrol Officers.

Zucal is the DUI coordinator, which includes all DUI enforcement and training for the officers wanting to work DUI Checkpoints.

He also is a child car seat technician, which requires national required certification.

As a deputy coroner with the Lehigh County Coroner's Office, his duties include investigation of all types of deaths.

He is a member of the Pennsylvania Coroner's Association and a diplomat with the American Board of Medical Death Investigators D-ABMDI also a national certified course.

Zucal says he has committed his life to serving both the residents of Allentown and Lehigh County.

"The words 'serve and protect' are not just words but a way of life to me," Zucal says. "Dedication and commitment come with my ethics.

"My leadership skills and personal kindness toward the general public will undoubtedly result in my success at winning the election."

Zucal says he has six goals:

· An open door policy with both the sheriff's office employees and the general public;

· Establish a more efficient process for gun permits as well as offer training for residents obtaining a gun permit;

· Create a summer youth camp similar to the Pa. State Police and Allentown Police;

· Create a board within the rank and file to evaluate training and equipment needs, contracts and overall union and management issues;

· Create a crisis management team to deal with employee and security crisis that could arise in a courthouse setting; and

·Apply for grants through Homeland Security.

Zucal resides in Allentown with his wife Teri and three children.

Joe Hanna, a Republican, is a detective with the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.

A former Allentown chief of police, he was responsible for overall command of a 216-member police department, the third largest police department in Pennsylvania.

A graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and the U.S. Department of Justice FBI National Academy, he is the recipient of the Colonel John K. Schafer award for professional excellence.

According to information on his official campaign page on Facebook, Hanna says he will bring more than three decades of frontline, crime-fighting experience to the sheriff's office.

The candidate says he will "work to achieve a balance between enforcement and security needs, while developing innovative policies and procedures to streamline costs, increase efficiencies, and secure alternative funding sources to offset operation expenditures."

Hanna spoke with The Press May 12.

He said he has spent his career in public service and law enforcement.

"I was with the Allentown Police Department for 34-1/2 years and retired in December 2013," Hanna said. "I took the weekend off and went to work for the district attorney's office."

Hanna said he was a manager of law enforcement personnel since 1997.

"I have the management background to run the sheriff's department," Hanna said.

Hanna discussed the reason he decided to run for sheriff.

"I thought it would be a seamless transition for me from my management and law enforcement background," Hanna said.

As sheriff, Hanna said he would assess current policies and procedures, improve them and implement those best practices.

Hanna also said he would look at policies and procedures used by sheriffs' departments across the commonwealth and country.