What you should know about the review of security at the Pa. governor’s mansion

After a man was able to breach security at the governor’s mansion, break in, and start several fires — all while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were home — Pennsylvania State Police have commissioned an independent review to investigate how the attack was able to happen.

The breach occurred after 38-year-old Cody Balmer jumped a security fence on the grounds, patrolled by a 24/7 state police security detail, before allegedly starting the fires and fleeing on foot without being apprehended. Balmer was arrested more than 12 hours later, when he turned himself in at state police headquarters in Harrisburg.

The incident marked one of the most serious attacks against a Pennsylvania official in state history.

» READ MORE: The arson at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion erupted within minutes. The impact lingers.

Here’s what you need to know about the review.

Jeffrey B. Miller, who led the Pennsylvania State Police as its commissioner from 2003 to 2008 under former Gov. Ed Rendell before going on to lead security operations for the National Football League, was contracted by the state’s law enforcement agency to review the incident, as well as its current security systems and protocols.

Miller and his consulting firm will be paid $23,489 for the security assessment, according to the emergency contract approved last week.

Miller joined the state police in 1984, rising through the ranks until he reached the level of commissioner in 2003. After leaving Pennsylvania, Miller worked as the chief of security for the NFL, and at one time also served as the head of security for the Kansas City Chiefs.

He said in an email that in his review of state police response surrounding the attack on Shapiro, he hopes to “close the gaps here.”

Miller also noted his familiarity with the state police as a former commissioner, as well as his experience conducting similar reviews internationally as a security consultant as credentials making him uniquely suited for the job.

State police initially said they were internally reviewing what went wrong in the breach of the mansion’s existing security on April 13. But by the end of the week, questions remained about how Pennsylvania’s governor was put so close to danger, and state lawmakers began taking interest in empaneling their own investigations into what happened.

State police announced plans on April 18 to hire an outside investigator to search for the agency’s deficiencies in its physical security around the residence, as well as in its security detail for Shapiro.

“The public expects and deserves an independent examination of the events that transpired during this unprecedented attack on our government leadership,” said State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris in a news release last week.

Miller said he would not comment on his review while it is underway.

But he will likely try to determine why Balmer was not apprehended, if all protocols were followed correctly or need updating, and more.

He will also likely point out any physical security weaknesses, which Shapiro’s office and state police will determine whether they want to make public.

Miller said in an email that he plans to send his final report to state police and Shapiro’s office on the arson attack within the next few weeks. The contract runs for 90 days, and it will be up to Shapiro’s office or state police to publicize the findings.

Shapiro, in a news conference earlier this week, said he’s confident there will be changes and lessons learned by state police following the incident.

“They’re working through a process now where they’ve learned from what occurred,” Shapiro said outside the residence on Tuesday, where staff on the opposite side of the building carried out charred wreckage to dumpsters lining the front lawn. “Between the work of the state police and the work of the independent reviewer, we’re going to come through this much stronger.”

Exact details of current security at the residence — as well as in-depth knowledge of Shapiro’s 24/7 protective detail — are kept under wraps by state police to protect from security threats.

However, two former Pennsylvania governors said in interviews this week that there are at least two state troopers stationed at the residence at all times who watch security cameras from a control room.

The Department of General Services, one of the state agencies responsible for upkeep of the governor’s mansion, also approved a $26,000 contract on Tuesday with security firm Vector Security to upgrade and expand its “wireless security system” that was, in part, damaged in the fire, according to the contract.

Several top state House Republicans wrote a letter to Shapiro and Paris this week, asking for access to the full, unredacted findings from Miller’s report.

The letter — signed by House Minority Leader Jesse Topper (R., Bedford) and Reps. Craig Williams (R., Delaware), Jim Struzzi (R., Indiana), and Rob Kauffman (R., Franklin) — expresses the top GOP leaders’ concerns that the attack on “Pennsylvania’s White House” gets proper scrutiny. The lawmakers wrote that they would also use the report’s findings to determine if legislation or additional funding is necessary to increase protections for the residence.

“While we applaud the effort to have a highly qualified third party provide a full-picture review of how this attack occurred, we are troubled that only the Pennsylvania State Police and the Governor’s Office will receive a detailed written report,” they wrote.