Former Pa. State Police commissioner hired to investigate security breach that led to governor’s mansion arson
Jeffrey B. Miller led the state police under former Gov. Ed Rendell and later served as chief of security for the National Football League.
A former commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police who later served as chief of security for the National Football League will conduct an independent security review of the arson attack on the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, the current head of the state police announced Friday.
Jeffrey B. Miller, who led the state police from 2003 to 2008 under then-Gov. Ed Rendell, will investigate the security breach that allowed an intruder to set fire to the residence, forcing Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family to be evacuated around 2 a.m. Sunday.
“The public expects and deserves an independent examination of the events that transpired during this unprecedented attack on our government leadership,” Col. Christopher Paris said in a statement.
» READ MORE: The arson at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion erupted within minutes. The impact lingers.
“The Pennsylvania State Police values the trust of the people we serve,” Paris said. ”By entrusting this review to an independent examiner with firsthand knowledge of our Commonwealth government, I believe we will continue to earn that trust and, more importantly, the public’s confidence that we are doing everything possible to prevent anything like this attack from ever happening again.”
In an interview posted online Thursday night and aired Friday on Good Morning America, Shapiro indicated that an outside review was being prepared.
“There were clearly security failures,” Shapiro said. “I want you to know I have confidence in the Pennsylvania State Police to learn from it, to address it. We’re bringing in a third party, an independent law enforcement leader, to review our protocols, to review our systems, and make them even better.”
Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, has been charged with attempted homicide, terrorism, and related offenses for the arson attack. After his arrest, Balmer allegedly told police he was “harboring a hatred” for Shapiro and would’ve attacked him with a hammer if the opportunity presented itself.
Miller, the owner of Jeffrey Miller Consulting in San Diego, said in an email Friday afternoon that he would “reserve any public comment until I have had the opportunity to complete my review.”
He joined the Pennsylvania State Police in 1984 and rose through the ranks until Rendell nominated him in 2003 to become commissioner.
In 2006, Miller oversaw the investigation after a gunman killed five girls at an Amish schoolhouse in the village of Nickel Mines in Lancaster County before taking his own life. Miller was praised for his sensitive handling of the case.
Miller was hired by the NFL in 2008 to a new position overseeing stadium security. He eventually took over all aspects of security for the league.
He left the NFL and later formed his own private security consulting firm. He also served as vice president of security for the Kansas City Chiefs.
For his review of the arson attack, Miller is expected to arrive in Harrisburg next week with his team for site visits and interviews, Paris said.
The investigation will examine monitoring systems, duty assignments of the security detail, and response protocols, Paris said. Miller’s findings will be contained in a report to be delivered to the state police and the governor’s office.
In his interview with Good Morning America, Shapiro said the intruder triggered an alarm outside the mansion, but he remained hidden before he set the residence ablaze.
Balmer allegedly scaled a protective fence with a bag of Molotov cocktails and a metal hammer — also described as a small sledgehammer — but he triggered a sensor near a bush where he hid just outside the residence, Shapiro said.
That prompted a state trooper to come out and investigate, but it was dark and the trooper didn’t see the intruder, Shapiro said.