Paul Daniel Zechman Jr.

Paul D Zechman Jr., age 73, of Lebanon PA, passed away August 18, 2024, with his wife by his side to the very end. Born in Lykens to Paul D Sr and Marie (Harman) Zechman. He grew up in Lickdale and graduated from Northern Lebanon High School.

Paul enlisted in the United States Army in 1970, serving as a Military Police Officer, a Sentry Dog Handler with the 636 Ordnance Co. and as a Provost Marshall Investigator. As part of his service career, he served in the Vietnam War.

Paul joined North Cornwall Township Police Department as a patrol officer patrolling until 1979. During this tenure, he earned an Associate’s Degree in Community Service and earned his Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement and Corrections, and Bachelor of Arts in Administration of Justice. He continued in his chosen field of service by joining the Lebanon County Detective Bureau as a Detective, a promotion followed to Detective Sergeant, before earning the distinction of serving as Chief of the Lebanon County Detective Bureau from 1998 to 2006, serving under District Attorney Deirdre Eshleman. He spent many countless hours taking specialized drug education courses and attended classes locally and nationally. Many additional hours were spent for training and qualifications in Polygraph, Intelligence, Surveillance, DUI, Conducting Seizures, Wiretapping, Breathalyzer testing, and so many more classes to assist him in the betterment of policing an ever-changing field. He instructed and trained hundreds of individuals and law enforcement officers in the field of Polygraph Science, Drug Investigation and Drug Identification at HACC, LVC, and Gettysburg College. He worked many local, state, and federal cases in his career and was qualified as an expert in the areas of Drug Investigation and Drug Identification in the Court of Common Pleas of Pennsylvania and in the Federal District Court. He had previous appointments as a Special Agent by the PA Office of the Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and was appointed as a Special Agent by the US Department of Justice, and Federal Drug Enforcement.

While working for the County, Paul was involved in bringing JNET which allowed a statewide information sharing system combining thousands of resource locations into one linked system. He also spearheaded the inception of the Lebanon County Drug Task Force and worked tirelessly to train the officers of Lebanon County. He helped establish the Drug Abuse Resistance Education- D.A.R.E. program into the 5th grade classrooms in Lebanon County.

Of his many, many, cases he worked over the years, one caught the attention of the FBI Files television show. It was a case of murder, and his hard work and due diligence paid off by the capture and arrests made. His case is titled “Dead Run”.

After retiring from the County of Lebanon, Paul worked for Information Network Associates, Inc.- I.N.A. of Harrisburg as a Security Consultant and as the site Supervisor at FTIG. He worked many, many, tireless hours in his lifetime career. He was a Lifetime member of the Lebanon Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #42, serving as past President. He was professionally affiliated with:

PA Narcotic Officer’s Assoc.

PA D.A.R.E. Officer’s Assoc.

PA Homicide Investigators Assoc.

PA Polygraph Examiner’s Assoc.

Lebanon Co. Chief’s of Police Assoc.

PA Chief’s of Police Assoc.

Central PA Chief’s of Police Assoc.

Paul received many honors, awards and distinctions over the years, but his best achievement in life was being called Grandpa by his grandson Austin and being called Papa by his granddaughters LeeAnna and Ella.

Remaining to cherish his memory he is survived by his wife Sharon M. (Youtz) Zechman.

Children Michelle (Earl) Long, Michael (Shawna) Zechman, stepchildren Nicholas (Katie) Basehore, Joshua (Ryan) Basehore, grandchildren Austin Long, LeeAnna and Ella Basehore. He is also survived by a brother John D. Zechman.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

A special thank you to Hospice and Community Care for your nurses and staff who helped guide us, and the Nurses and aides and staff of the 4th floor at Wellspan Good Samaritan Hospital of Lebanon, some of you were a source of strength and inspiration and gave us comfort in his last days.