HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) \u2014 Senate Republican leaders said communication between Pennsylvania State Police and the sergeants-at-arms is under review after several lawmakers reported not knowing of threats made against them.<\/p>\n
In a joint statement on Wednesday, Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward and Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman acknowledged the delays and said there will be changes in both chambers \u201cto ensure legislators are immediately contacted and made aware of any threat as we would have expected to have occurred.\u201d<\/p>\n
Close<\/a><\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Watch for us in your inbox.<\/p>\n Subscribe Now<\/p>\n Their statement comes after police charged Adam G. Berryhill<\/a>, of Lebanon County, with making terroristic threats for posts targeting 20 Democratic state lawmakers, including House Speaker Joanna McClinton and Rep. Jordan Harris. Some of his posts referred to a \u201cMemorial Day operation.\u201d<\/p>\n PSP was aware of Berryhill since April and filed a criminal complaint against him on May 6, but some lawmakers told abc27 News\u2019 partner Spotlight PA they only learned of the threats this week.<\/p>\n A PSP spokesperson told Spotlight PA that the legislature\u2019s sergeants-at-arms is responsible for informing lawmakers of threats, adding it notified the responsible agencies at the time of the threat.<\/p>\n Gov. Josh Shapiro called for a better process in a statement on Wednesday. He said PSP had already instituted a new procedure to directly notify lawmakers immediately after learning of threats of violence against them.<\/p>\n The incident was the latest amid increasing threats against state lawmakers. A New Mexico man<\/a> was sentenced in March for threatening to bomb Shapiro\u2019s home, and police charged a Carlisle man<\/a> in February for allegedly threatening to stalk and injure the governor\u2019s family.<\/p>\n Last year, a Harrisburg man broke into the state-owned Governor\u2019s residence and set it ablaze<\/a> while the governor and his family slept inside. The assailant, Cody Balmer, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges in October.<\/p>\n