Dunmore man tapped to lead state police
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Jan. 13—Incoming Gov. Josh Shapiro plans to nominate state police Maj. Christopher L. Paris as the agency's commissioner, Shapiro announced Friday.
Paris, a Lackawanna County native who supervised a Pike County barracks when it was attacked by a sniper in 2014, currently commands four troops encompassing much of central and Northeast Pennsylvania.
"With over twenty years of experience in the Pennsylvania State Police, I know the sacrifices our officers make each and every day to protect Pennsylvanians — and I know they need support from the Governor's Administration to continue that work," Paris said in a statement. "I am grateful for the trust Governor-Elect Shapiro has placed in me to lead my fellow law enforcement officers, and I look forward to working with him to hire more police officers in our communities, hold criminals accountable and make our communities safer."
The nomination was one of several Shapiro announced Friday for key Cabinet positions tied to public safety.
Laurel R. Harry of Green County will be nominated for secretary of corrections, Randy Padfield of Cumberland County for director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Pennsylvania National Guard Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, a native of Buffalo, New York, for adjutant general of Pennsylvania and Tom Cook, who previously helped lead Pittsburgh's fire department, for state fire commissioner.
Shapiro, who served as attorney general prior to his election as governor, said the five are "exemplary public servants" who have risked their safety to serve.
Paris, 46, of Dunmore, began his career with the state police in May 1999 and worked outside Philadelphia. He rose through the ranks — sergeant in 2006 and lieutenant in 2010 — and was assigned in 2013 as the lieutenant in charge of the Blooming Grove barracks in Pike County
In September 2014, gunman Eric Matthew Frein ambushed the rural barracks and shot at two troopers using a rifle. The gunfire killed Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson II and wounded Trooper Alex Douglass.
The then-lieutenant had been asleep in Dunmore for about a half hour the night of Sept. 12, 2014, when his phone rang with news that "something bad is going on at the Grove," Paris said in a 2015 interview. Gunshots were reported and people were down. He reached the barracks 32 miles from his home by 11:50 p.m., just 30 minutes after receiving the call.
Paris helped lead the barracks through the aftermath. A massive, $11.7 million manhunt for Frein spanned through the Poconos for 48 days until the then-32-year-old's capture.
Paris had just ended a late-afternoon visit with Douglass when the call came Oct. 30, 2014: Frein was in custody.
"How long was the 48 days? Long. Every day you ask, "Is this the day?" Paris said in 2015. "But again, being in awe of law enforcement, you see people who didn't break when they were broken. ... Emotionally, they've been through something, and there wasn't any quit."
Frein, now 39, was tried and found guilty in 2017. He remains on death row.
The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association said in a statement they were proud Shapiro nominated "one of our own" to lead the agency.
"For nearly a quarter-century, Major Paris has been a dedicated state trooper who is well respected in our ranks," said the union's president, David Kennedy.
Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonkin, who has known and worked with Paris for almost 10 years, said the governor-elect made an outstanding choice.
"If there is a finer man to be selected to that position, I'm not personally familiar with that person," Tonkin said.
He lauded Paris for his leadership and service both after the attack on the Blooming Grove station and in the years since.
"He is always looking for a solution and not just any solution but the right solution to get to a place where justice is served," Tonkin said.
Paris soon received a promotion to captain and took command of Troop R, which covers Lackawanna, Wayne, Susquehanna and Pike counties. By 2018, he was promoted again to major and tasked with heading the state police's Bureau of Integrity and Professional Standards, which includes the agency's internal affairs division.
Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell worked with Paris while he served as captain of the local state police troop and praised his experience and knowledge.
"I have all the respect in the world for him," Powell said.
In 2020, at a moment when police accountability was at the forefront of public discussion, Paris was named to a deputy commissioner position responsible for training troopers and holding them accountable.
"Every person's interaction with the state police is their own frame of reference for us," Paris said at the time.
Paris remained a lieutenant colonel until the beginning of 2022, when state payment records hosted by PennWATCH indicate he moved back to a major's position.
Paris is a 1994 graduate of Scranton Preparatory School, a 1998 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Scranton and earned a law degree from the Temple University Beasley School of Law.
Scranton Police Chief Thomas Carroll got to know Paris during the hunt for Frein and, years later, after city Patrolman John Wilding died pursuing robbery suspects. Carroll said he was "glad to see they selected the obvious choice."
"He's the epitome of leadership and professionalism," Carroll said.
David Singleton, staff writer, contributed to this report.
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