By KIERNAN SCHALK Sentinel reporter kschalk@lewistownsentinel.comLEWISTOWN -

Now in his 21st year as Sheriff of Juniata County, H. Thomas Lyter was recently elected President of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs' Association.

The Juniata County native has been a pillar of the community, having served longer as sheriff than any of his predecessors and during that time, he says he has seen some things change for the better and some things change for the worse. Lyter also serves as warden of the Juniata County Prison.

As the association's new president, Lyter's primary concern will be to re-focus efforts to restore the powers of arrest and investigation to sheriff's departments statewide. House Bill 2585 put forth by Robert Belfanti Jr., D-Mount Carmel, does just that, Lyter said. The legislation has numerous co-sponsors, including local Rep. Adam Harris R- Mifflintown.

Lyter said in speaking with Harris about the issue, the representative called the legislation a "no brainer" and the right thing to do.

"I am really passionate about House Bill 2585 ... five different counties have written statements of support," Lyter said.

During his tenure as sheriff, Lyter said there was a time when he and his deputies were involved in criminal investigations.

"We used to work on investigations with the Attorney General's office and Pennsylvania State Police," Lyter said.

"We have the same training," Lyter said referring to the Municipal Police Training under Act 120, which is required certification for law enforcement officials in Pennsylvania.

Lyter explained that ever since the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling in Kopko v. Miller, sheriffs were basically stripped of some of their powers.

The court case came about when a group of sheriffs wanted to attend a four day course on how to utilize wiretapping and electronic surveillance technology. The course is administered by the Pennsylvania State Police and offered to law enforcement officials as part of their overall training. The state police denied the sheriffs' request to attend the course.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in February 2006 that although sheriffs perform "vital and necessary duties in the Commonwealth, (they) are not investigative or law enforcement officers."

Lyter said the ruling basically made it impossible for sheriffs and sheriffs deputies to investigate crime and also limited the scope of their arrest powers.

Shifting gears a bit, Lyter said he enjoys his work and does not want to do anything else, but he feels as though he and his deputies could better serve the public if their investigative powers were restored.

"I don't think I have ever had a bad day, I like my work," Lyter said.

"My goal is to help people."

When asked about his best day, Lyter said it was hard to pick one but the day that sticks out in his head the most, was the day he saved a young man's life after he almost died from a drug overdose.

"He has contacted me several times and thanked me for saving his life," Lyter said. "He has a wife and kids now ... even his grandmother called to thank me."

Lyter said that there really is no such thing as a typical day for him. Sometimes he is transporting prisoners to and from court or bringing them back from another state, sometimes he is out with his deputies serving tax notices or at the prison overseeing the operations there.

"We are on the road all the time," Lyter said.

In his spare time, Lyter enjoys fishing with his wife Carol, whom he said is his best friend and was responsible for convincing him to run for sheriff a second time after suffering a narrow defeat in 1986.