Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon announced Thursday morning he will run for re-election. He has been the county attorney for the past five years and has been with the office for 32 years.
“The county attorney plays a vital role in keeping our community and citizens safe from crime, and it makes me proud to say I’ve played a key role in doing that for 32 years here in Lancaster County,” Condon says. “We are at a crossroads in our country when it comes to law enforcement. Across the country we see police departments under attack with attempts to de-fund or handcuff law enforcement,” Condon says. “We are seeing cities where county attorneys simply are not charging criminals who steal less than $950 worth of goods and merchandise with a crime. We are seeing certain districts where they are banning cash bail for individuals arrested and charged with a crime. This is the wrong direction for law enforcement to be headed. We cannot let Lancaster County go down that road.”
Condon says the county attorney has to try some very complex trials and analyze complex legal issues and you have to have a trial lawyer with experience doing this job. “I’ve advised our lawyers in hundreds of trials because of my experience. That can’t happen if you don’t have the legal experience or legal background to either do the job or supervise other lawyers.
Condon says they work very hard to get convictions of the guilty, but are very fair and compassionate where they need to be. “For instance, our office has made great strides by creating diversion programs for those arrested for various non-violent offenses. Diversion programs save taxpayer dollars by not paying for incarcerations and by unclogging our courts with fewer trials,” Condon says.
“Diversion programs also allow a person accused of a crime to get the help they need to deal with an addiction, while letting them
continue to work in their current job and stay in a family environment that helps with their rehabilitation. This keeps them viable and contributing members of society.”