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His father was a former Pennsylvania state police trooper, and 30 years ago that heritage prompted Pawlowski to pursue the same career path.
Now the former commander of Troop J in Lancaster has risen to the lead role of the state's top law enforcement agency. Gov. Ed Rendell on Friday named Pawlowski to become acting commissioner of the state police, effective Aug. 9.
Pawlowski, who serves as deputy commissioner of operations, said he was honored by Rendell's nomination and that looks forward to continuing initiatives started more than five years ago by exiting state police chief Col. Jeffrey Miller.
Miller, who gained notoriety for his handling of the 2006 shootings at West Nickel Mines School in Bart Township, was hired by the NFL this week to serve as director of strategic security.
"The folks down in Lancaster got a firsthand look at Col. Miller's work, and I think everybody was extremely impressed," Pawlowski said. "They're big shoes to fill, but I look forward to doing that."
Pawlowski enlisted in the state police in 1978 and was assigned to Troop J, where he served at the Embreeville barracks as a trooper. He also worked at the Avondale and Lancaster stations in the criminal investigative divisions.
He received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from West Chester State College in 1976 and is a 1999 graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.
Pawlowski has worked as a hostage negotiator, investigated the Camp Hill Prison riots and was a special counsel to the state attorney general during a probe of former state Supreme Court Justice Rolf Larsen.He took over command of Troop J in September 2000 before being promoted to major by Miller in 2003, one of the first promotions authorized by the current commander.
Miller brought a great deal of energy to the office every day as a nationally respected law-enforcement personality, Pawlowski said, and he was not afraid to try to change the culture of the state police.
Pawlowski said one of his biggest goals as acting commissioner is to continue policies initiated by Miller, including the problem-specific policing program that uses computer analysis of crime statistics and maps out where crimes are occurring.
The data can lead officers to crime and traffic "hot spots," Pawlowski said, allowing troopers to spend time in high-crime areas instead of just pursuing random patrols.
Pawlowski also pointed out the creation of the Pennsylvania Criminal Intelligence Center, a contact hub for all law enforcement, as a major achievement by Miller.
The Criminal Intelligence Center, which helps officers look for gangs, organized crime and terrorism, is poised to evolve into "fusion centers," Pawlowski said, bringing in emergency management people, state government and the private sector.
Pawlowski said Sept. 11, 2001, changed the way law-enforcement agencies work together. The state police now have more active partnerships with federal agencies such as the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration and work on special projects with local police departments, including Lancaster and Reading.
"All the agencies had to start thinking differently about the way we treated each other," Pawlowski said. "The cops are working smarter across the board here."
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