Who is Pa. State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens, the public face of law enforcement in the Danelo Cavalcante manhunt?
Bivens, who leads the daily briefings on Danelo Cavalcante, was also the public face of law enforcement during the 48-day search for Eric Frein in 2014.
In the massive manhunt for escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante, Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens has become the public face of law enforcement — a familiar role he has performed in several high-profile cases in recent years.
Bivens has led the daily news briefings held in Chester County to update the public on the latest sightings of Cavalcante, the 34-year-old Brazilian native who escaped from the Chester County Prison on Aug. 31 and has eluded authorities since then.
In 2014, Bivens led public briefings during the 48-day search for Eric Frein, the self-styled survivalist who ambushed two state troopers, killing one and critically wounding the other.
Update: Danelo Cavalcante was caught in Chester County after a two-week manhunt
Who is Lt. Col. George Bivens?
Bivens, 61, is the deputy commissioner of operations, essentially the number two under Col. Christopher Paris, who became commissioner of the statewide police force this year under Gov. Josh Shapiro. The state police have more than 4,700 sworn personnel and nearly 1,900 civilian employees.
Bivens is a Johnstown native who joined the state police in 1985, according to a 2008 report published by the Tribune-Democrat newspaper in Johnstown. Bivens was assigned mainly in southwestern Pennsylvania in his early career. In 2008, he was promoted to lead the Bureau of Criminal Investigation. By 2014, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The Tribune-Democrat reported that Bivens received a medal of commendation for helping a fellow state police trooper who had been threatened with death during a 1998 confrontation with Ku Klux Klan members who were celebrating White Pride Day in Jenner Township, in Somerset County.
What case is George Bivens known for?
In 2014, Bivens gained public prominence during the seven-week manhunt for Frein, who shot and killed State Police Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson II, 38, and wounded Trooper Alex Douglass, 31, outside the Blooming Grove Barracks in Pike County.
Bivens regularly briefed journalists and called Frein a “coward” during some of those news conferences. After his capture, Frein was convicted and sentenced to death.
» READ MORE: Captured: The final days of the Poconos manhunt for Eric Frein
This year in July, Bivens led briefings during the manhunt for 34-year-old Michael Burham, who escaped from the Warren County jail in northwestern Pennsylvania and was captured in less than 10 days.
Why was George Bivens demoted?
In January 2016, Bivens was demoted after a new commissioner chosen by then-Gov. Tom Wolf took over the agency.
It is fairly common after a change in control of any government agency for political appointees to select different people at the highest levels of administration.
A spokesperson for Wolf said at the time that Tyree C. Blocker, the new commissioner, was entitled to bring in his own management team.
Bivens was demoted to major and reassigned to head the agency’s Bureau of Gaming Enforcement.
Though not unusual, his removal from the command staff and reassignment were not well-received by some.
Douglass, the trooper who survived Frein’s ambush, said at the time that he was shocked by Bivens’ demotion. Douglass described Bivens as a great person and commander who stood by him through multiple surgeries and a long recovery.
Even one of Frein’s defense lawyers was surprised when told of the demotion. “I thought Col. Bivens handled himself with absolute credibility, integrity, and professionalism,” lawyer Michael Weinstein said.
Bivens reportedly was given a choice to retire or be demoted and he refused to leave.
He stayed and eventually regained his rank, and is now once again the lieutenant colonel, front and center, searching for a killer.