Harford Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler has officially filed for reelection, seeking his fourth term as the county’s top law enforcement officer.

Gahler, a Republican who has served in the role since 2014, filed election paperwork on Tuesday. He said he stands behind his results during his first 12 years in office and that he wants to “make sure our community remains as safe as can be.”

Gahler, who was born in Elkton, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Johns Hopkins University while serving in the Maryland State Police, where he worked 28 years.

He first ran for sheriff in 2010, when he lost to Democratic incumbent Sheriff Jesse Bane. Four years later, Gahler knocked off Bane in the general election and has held the seat since.

Gahler said his office has been successful in “maintaining a safe community.” According to NIBRS data available on the Maryland Department of State Police website, Harford County had the sixth-lowest crime rate in the state in 2025 and has seen a decline in total number of incidents by more than 1,500 from 2023 to 2025.

The sheriff said the office’s attack on the opioid epidemic is an “example around the nation.”

“I’m very pleased with the efforts that we’ve taken, but just like you can be the best at something, you can do it better,” Gahler said. “I want to find pathways that make our community even safer.”

Gahler, an outspoken figure on social media, has been vocal against the recent bill banning formal agreements between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local law enforcement, which Gov. Wes Moore signed earlier this week.

“Our focus on border security as it relates to public safety within our county, that’s very important to us,” Gahler said. “I want to … navigate the troubled waters that our state finds itself in now with taking the pathway this General Assembly has enacted during this session.”

There are several projects Gahler said he wants to see complete before his time in office ends, including a real-time crime center, a “drones as first responder” program and a finished central precinct.

While Gahler ran unopposed in the 2022 election, he anticipates there may be competition this time around. No other candidates had filed paperwork as of Friday to run for Harford sheriff. The candidate filing deadline is 9 p.m., Feb. 24.

“If you like living in a safe community that my office and my leadership has provided, then that’s all the selling point one would need,” Gahler said.

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