HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — More than $33 million has been spent on security upgrades at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg and his private residence in Montgomery County, CBS 21 has learned.

According to a letter obtained by the CBS 21 Investigates Team, more than $32 million was spent on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence in Harrisburg and more than $1 million spent on the private residence.

The letter sent by Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and the Department of General Services (DGS) two days after an inquiry from Republican State Sen. Jarrett Coleman, according to several sources.

The upgrades were in response to the arson attack by Cody Balmer on April 13, 2025.

Coleman requested information from the departments on Oct. 22, after learning procurement requests were made for an assessment of “residences,” a discrepancy he said he wanted to examine.

READ MORE |Arsonist pleads guilty after firebombing Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence

In Coleman’s letter, he said the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee was considering taking a closer look and possibly holding a hearing on the subject.

It was two days later when the PSP and DGS letter was sent to lawmakers detailing numbers that the CBS 21 Investigates team also has been looking for.

SECURITY UPGRADES

The state police commissioner wrote to lawmakers recommending a new outer barrier be installed at the residence. A 10-foot barrier that the commissioner said is resistant to vehicle damage and climbing is being built. That costs around $14 million.

The department said the arsonist, Cody Balmer, was able to hide from troopers at the residence in foliage on the property. In response, DGS is installing updated cameras, improved lights and motion detectors in the yard of the residence. That costs around $6.3 million.

In April, Balmer broke in the governor’s residence by breaking a glass window and throwing a Molotov cocktail. Since then, DGS has retrofitted all of the windows at the residence with bulletproof and shatter-proof glass. That costs around $8 million.

Before the fire, the last time the governor’s residence had been updated was in 1974 according to PSP and DGS. The building did not have a fire suppression system or sprinklers. DGS is in the process of installing a new sprinkler system throughout the residence. That costs around $4 million.

PSP and DGS also wrote to lawmakers that other security measures have been made, including changes to staffing and changes to technology and other internal systems. The specifics of those improvements were not provided in the letter.

At Shapiro’s private residence in Montgomery County, state police said physical barriers have been added there, as well as enhanced security technology.

State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris and Department of General Services Secretary Reginald McNeil wrote in the letter:

The horrifying attack on the Governor, his family, and Commonwealth property, coupled with the unfortunate rise in political violence across our country, has made these updates necessary to protect the Governor and his family and ensure the continued operation of the executive branch of the Commonwealth. No family should have to live behind bulletproof glass or behind large walls – but the nature of the threats against elected officials today require us to take these important steps.PAYING FOR RESTORATION, UPGRADES

PSP and DGS said there were multiple streams of funding that were pulled from in order to pay for the security upgrades and restoration at the Governor’s Residence.

The CBS 21 Investigates team previously reported more than $7 million was spent on work done to restore the residence.

DGS wrote some of that work has been covered by insurance. The department said its submitted $4.5 million in expenses to the insurance carrier FM Global. So far the company has approved a $2 million reimbursement, of which the Commonwealth has received $1 million.

In the spring, DGS said $16.9 million was requested from the Commonwealth’s General Fund and from Capital Projects Public Improvement Program (PIP).

The PIP funds were used for the improvements on the sprinkler system and the bulletproof glass.

DGS said the arson also caused damage to pieces of art and other decorative items throughout the residence. The department said the accumulation of those items happened through previous governors over the years and were paid for by private dollars. The department said replacing those items also would be paid for by private money.

It’s unclear how much money private donors have spent to restore the residence. Shapiro has said past governors of Pennsylvania have gotten together to help in response to the fire.

Coleman responded to the PSP letter in a statement:

For the past two weeks, the Intergovernmental Operations Committee has been looking into whether or not tax dollars were being used to modify the Governor’s private residence. On Friday, we were informed by the Department of General Services and the Pennsylvania State Police that $1 million will be spent on modifying the governor’s private property. The Intergovernmental Operations Committee will continue to investigate how this decision was made and what steps are being taken to protect taxpayers as this unprecedented project is being completed.

The CBS 21 Investigates team has reached out to the Governor’s Office to ask about the security upgrades, but has not yet heard back.

Cody Balmer pleaded guilty to the arson at the Governor’s Residence, and to attempting to kill Gov. Shapiro. He was sentenced to 25-50 years in prison.