Wikimedia Commons/Dwight Burdette
Wikimedia Commons/Dwight Burdette
Two Johnson County law enforcement officers are running for County Sheriff in the June 2 primary election.
Det. Sgt. Brad Kunkel of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department will face Cedar Rapids Police Sgt. Al Fear.
Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek has announced that he will not run for a fifth term. Pulkrabek has served as sheriff for 16 years. He led the office responsible for patrolling unincorporated areas of the county, maintaining the county jail, assisting other agencies and providing security in the courthouse, among other duties.
Fear said he is the underdog in the contest, since he has lower name recognition. He has 20 years of experience in local law enforcement. Fear spent much of his career in Cedar Rapids. He worked as a K-9 handler for several years. Fear said he has more experience than Kunkel, according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen.
Kunkel has been a deputy with the sheriff’s department since 2001. Kunkel is known for his involvement in Community Resources United to Stop Heroin (C.R.U.S.H.). He founded and continues to run the organization, which hosts support groups across Iowa for people impacted by the opioid crisis.
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