Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday appointed Bruce Beemer, the former First Deputy at the Office of Attorney General, as Pennsylvania’s Inspector General, replacing Grayling Williams, who resigned to take a new position out of state in law enforcement, where he has spent the majority of his long career in public service.
Beemer’s first day as Inspector General will be July 25. Deputy General Counsel Anne Gingrich Cornick will serve as Acting Inspector General from July 15 until July 24 to assist in the transition.
“Bruce Beemer has earned a reputation across the commonwealth as a tough prosecutor, effective administrator and thoughtful legal mind,” Governor Wolf said. “He has taken on public officials at all levels and worked to root out corruption in government. I have great faith in his ability to further the mission of the Office of Inspector General to fight waste, fraud and abuse, and working to make government more efficient and effective.
“I thank Grayling Williams for his exemplary service to the commonwealth and wish him well in his return to law enforcement, where he has spent the majority of his career working to make communities safer.”
Bruce Beemer most recently served as First Deputy in the Office of the Attorney General of Pennsylvania where he oversees the day to day operations of the Criminal, Civil, and Public Protection Divisions, as well as being chief legal adviser to the Attorney General and being responsible for the management of almost 800 employees.
He previously served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. After joining that office as an assistant district attorney in 1996, he worked in the Crimes Persons, Narcotics and Homicide trial units where he tried over 100 jury trials and prosecuted over 75 homicide cases.
He was responsible for several gang-related prosecutions within the City of Pittsburgh involving multi-jurisdictional coordination with state and federal agencies.
In 2005, Mr. Beemer was made supervisor of the District Attorney’s General Trial Units and Summary Appeals Units. He managed over 30 prosecutors in the office and regularly advised city, county, and municipal police departments on legal issues relating to active investigations.
He trained police officers and prosecutors on behalf of the Municipal Police Officer Training and Education Center, the Allegheny County Police Academy and the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Association.
From 2005 to 2011 Mr. Beemer was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law where he taught trial advocacy to third year law students. He has served as a Board Member for the Center for Victims of Violent Crime.
In 2010, Mr. Beemer left the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office to engage in a private practice focused on plaintiffs’ environmental toxic tort cases and white collar criminal defense.
In late 2011, he was appointed Chief of Staff for the Office of Attorney General of Pennsylvania under Attorney General Linda Kelly and in 2013, he was appointed Chief of Criminal Prosecutions under Attorney General Kathleen Kane before being named First Deputy.
Mr. Beemer graduated summa cum laude in 1992 from the University of Scranton and in 1995 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He resides just north of Pittsburgh in Bradford Woods, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Jodi have two children ages 9 and 7.
