State Police add uniformed unit, ‘anti-climb’ fence to protect Pa. governor’s mansion after arson attack

The change follows a brazen arson attack at the Harrisburg residence where Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family stay.

• By Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

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HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania State Police has created a new uniformed unit to protect the governor’s official residence along the banks of the Susquehanna River as part of its effort to beef up security in the wake of a brazen arson attack.

In a letter to legislative leaders Tuesday, State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris said the new unit, which will use marked police vehicles, will maintain an “additional visible presence” at the stately residence near the Capitol where Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family stay when he is in Harrisburg.

The existing special detail unit within the State Police will continue to provide security for Shapiro and other high-level state officials. Those troopers, who are not in uniform, have for years accompanied the governor at both public and private events. They also have an office inside the residence that they staff around the clock.

A State Police spokesperson on Tuesday declined to say how many new uniformed officers will be stationed at the residence. Paris wrote in his letter that they will receive training in emergency response.

In the letter, Paris said some security improvements will be visible, including a new “anti-climb” fence, while others will not be.

The letter follows a review by a third-party expert hired by the State Police in the days after the April 13 attack to assess its security protocols. The consultant — Jeffrey Miller, a former State Police commissioner who now runs a private security firm — said his review would include “a risk and vulnerability assessment” of the residence and its surrounding grounds, and examine “monitoring systems, duty assignments of the security detail, and response protocols.”

Late last week, Miller said in a statement that he had delivered recommendations to Shapiro and State Police, but would not make his review public, given its “sensitive nature.”

In his letter, Paris said State Police would also not make Miller’s report public, as it includes “sensitive and detailed information” about operational security at the residence.

“Its release to the public would obviously risk jeopardizing the safety of the governor, the lieutenant governor, their families and all PSP protectees,” Paris wrote. “I know the safety of these public officials and their families is of paramount importance to all of us and appreciate your understanding.”

A spokesperson for Shapiro would not say last week whether the governor’s office would share any of the information or provide an executive summary.

In the letter, Paris said Miller’s review “focused entirely on security protocols and an assessment of security infrastructure — the investigation into the events of April 13, 2025, is being conducted by protecting authorities.”

It remains unclear if the review also assessed the actions of the troopers who were on duty the night of the arson attack are being assessed internally.

Spotlight PA has reported that there were two troopers on duty in the early morning hours of April 13, when 38-year-old Cody Balmer allegedly scaled the perimeter fence around the residence and snuck up to the house, breaking windows and deploying Molotov cocktails inside, starting a blazing fire that caused significant damage to several rooms.

He then kicked a door open and fled, again scaling the perimeter fence and running away, police say.

He later turned himself in at State Police headquarters and has been charged with attempted homicide, terrorism, and other crimes.

PSP Response to Legislative Leaders on Gov Residence Security Review by Spotlight PA

This story is courtesy of Spotlight PA.