Colonel Christopher L. Paris, a native of Lackawanna County, was nominated by Governor Shapiro to lead the Pennsylvania State Police. Colonel Paris enlisted in the Pennsylvania State Police in 1999, beginning his career as a Trooper assigned to Troop K, Skippack. As he progressed through the ranks, he served in Troop K, Philadelphia; the Bureau of Training and Education; Troop R, Dunmore; the Department Discipline Office; the Bureau of Integrity and Professional Standards; the Executive Office as the Deputy Commissioner of Administration and Professional Responsibility. Most recently, he served as the Commander of Area III.
Commissioner Paris is a 1998 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Scranton, a 2004 graduate of Temple University Law School, and a graduate of the 267th session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy. He has passed the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bar exams and is an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar.
Colonel Paris exercises command, administrative, and fiscal authority over the Pennsylvania State Police, which is the tenth largest police agency in the United States, serving a population of more than 3.3 million residents over a 36,000 square-mile area. He oversees a budget of more than 1.5 billion dollars and commands a statewide complement of approximately 6,500 enlisted and civilian employees, which includes an authorized complement of 4,740 State Police Troopers.