Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar said yesterday he will continue his quest for full-time status after the elections if his campaign for a second term of office is successful.

The nine-year occupant of the Centre County district attorney's office made the announcement at a news conference called to announce the start of his re-election campaign.

Gricar's previous attempt to upgrade his status from part- to full-time ended unsuccessfully with a recent vote by the Centre County Commissioners. If a second request is not successful, Gricar will seek part-time employment within the legal profession in addition to his duties as district attorney, he said.

He said he does not know whether that decision will sway voters against him.

"I've been working full-time for a part-time salary for four years and I've done everything I can to get the commissioners to vote for full-time status," Gricar said. "If pressure is brought to bear, it should be brought on the commissioners, not the DA."

Gricar said the fate of that request played no part in his decision to run for re-election and described yesterday's announcement as a formality.

"I've been saying all along that I was going to run again," Gricar said. "I decided three years ago that I was going to run for re-election -- provided I did a credible job."

Gricar stressed that he is running with 19 years of law enforcement experience as a career prosecutor in a field "that's not where you find people with a lot of experience."

Gricar will run for his second term based on his qualifications and record, which he said shows strengths in combatting drug problems, fighting child abuse and domestic violence, and preserving victims' rights, he said.

"The first time I ran, I promised vigorous enforcement of the laws yet I would be a fair and reasonable person," Gricar said, adding that his record should prove he met that goal.

Gricar said he was proudest of his work in domestic violence cases, which he described as particularly difficult "because of the recurrence and the danger for both the victim and the police. The cases are also misunderstood by both the juries and the courts."

The district attorney has worked with the Centre County Women's Resource Center and Keystone Legal Services to develop procedures for protection from abuse orders, he said. A written outline of domestic violence case procedures will soon be available, he added.

"It's not that we've reached the promised land, but we have made significant accomplishments," Gricar said, noting that his work with domestic violence cases has brought the most positive public response.

During Gricar's term, the district attorney's office also hired its first victim and witness advocate to guide victims and witnesses through the judicial system and prevent retaliation and intimidation from suspects. He said the program is considered one of the best in Pennsylvania.

Other accomplishments Gricar noted include the on-going investigation of drug dealing which has resulted in 12 arrests, the county's first conviction in a drunk driving fatality case and the creation of a regional technical equipment bank for law officers through funding from drug-related property forfeitures.

Candidates are not allowed to begin circulating petitions until Feb. 14 and must declare candidacy and present petitions at the elections office by Mar. 7, according to the county election office.

Two assistant district attorneys, Eileen Tucker and Karen Arnold, said they were not surprised at Gricar's decision to run for re-election.

"I never had a doubt that he would run again the way I feel about Ray Gricar's qualifications," Tucker said. "After 19 years as a prosecutor, it never entered my mind that he wouldn't run again."

Both Tucker and Arnold noted that he has stressed training and educational programs within the office and said he is an excellent teacher as well as a strong attorney.