Public Media for Central Pennsylvania
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Retired Major Picked to Run Pa. State Police

Tom Wolf Administration

Governor Tom Wolf has picked retired Major Tyree C. Blocker to be the next commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, after the governor’s first nominee failed to win the state Senate’s confirmation in June.

The nomination represents a homecoming for Blocker, a Chester County resident, who spent 30 years with the State Police. Blocker was a trailblazer as an African-American commander and ran the Bureau of Drug Law Enforcement when cocaine was flooding into Pennsylvania.

A black commissioner could send a strong signal to critics who have considered the state police lacking in diversity. But Blocker also represents an insider at an agency with great pride in its traditions.

According to a press release from the Wolf administration, Blocker has worked as a consultant and a fitness business since his retirement.

Wolf’s first pick for State Police commissioner was an outsider: Marcus Brown, who spent most of his career in Maryland. Brown prompted a backlash when he wore the Pennsylvania State Police uniform even though he didn’t come up through the ranks.

Blocker must still win the state Senate’s confirmation. The role of acting commissioner, however, is no different than that of confirmed commissioner. He is expected to start his new job Friday. The Wolf administration said Brown is staying on to help with the transition.

Mary Wilson is the state Capitol reporter for Pennsylvania's public radio stations, including witf in Harrisburg, WHYY in Philadelphia and WESA in Pittsburgh. Mary came to witf after a year being a catch-all staffer for a Maryland politician. Partisanship was a drag, but other things stuck: she has great empathy for those who have spent hours folding sample ballots and building campaign signs. Before that, she was a part-time show host and cub reporter at WFUV-FM in New York City. She covered the closing of the old Yankee stadium and narrated the scene of Harlem on the night of the 2008 presidential election. Mary graduated from Fordham University in the Bronx with majors in history and Italian.