AUSTIN -- Plans to create driver's license checkpoints on Texas highways have been scrapped in the face of strong lawmaker opposition and suspicions that the proposal targeted illegal immigrants.
Allan Polunsky, chairman of the Texas Department of Public Safety Commission, said Friday he would withdraw a request for an attorney general's opinion on whether the checkpoints would be legal.
DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said the opinion request was sought only for "informational purposes."
"There was never any connection to immigration issues," Vinger said. "DPS does not enforce immigration issues."
Fifteen state lawmakers asked Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to ignore the opinion request made in September. Some suspected the purpose of the checkpoints was to crack down on illegal immigrants.
In August, the public safety commission issued new rules for driver's license applicants to prove they are here legally.
"A state agency is making immigration policy for the state of Texas, and that is not their job," Democratic state Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon told the San Antonio Express-News.
During a commission meeting Friday, Polunsky said it was not appropriate to proceed with the proposal at this time. Commission members agreed, but postponed voting on withdrawing the request because the issue wasn't on the agenda.
The state Court of Criminal Appeals ruled in 1994 that checkpoints would have to be approved by a "politically accountable governing body at the state level." The Legislature has not passed bills outlining procedures for checkpoints.
The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund was among those who said the proposed driver's license checkpoints, coupled with the requirement for proving immigration status, could lead to profiling.
Showing posts with label DPS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DPS. Show all posts
November 15, 2008
August 2, 2008
Border sheriffs suggest El Paso man to head Texas DPS
By Brandi Grissom / Austin Bureau
Article Launched: 08/02/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
AUSTIN -- Some Texas border sheriffs said Friday that they've already made their pick for the next leader of the state's top law enforcement agency: El Pasoan Steve McCraw, Texas Homeland Security director.
"He's a good man," Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West said. "He'll do the righteous thing and put DPS back to the basics, where it needs to be."
The Texas Public Safety Commission is set to start the process of choosing a director of the Texas Department of Public Safety to replace Col. Thomas Davis, who will retire Aug. 31. His retirement comes as the department faces a storm of criticism and calls for modernization in the wake of security gaps that allowed an arsonist to set the governor's mansion ablaze in June.
"It's time for renewal and for bettering our systems and equipment to meet modern-day law enforcement challenges," said state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee.
Though candidates have not been chosen, Carona said, McCraw's name has been among those mentioned to take the helm of the 8,000-employee department.
"He is eminently qualified," Carona said.
McCraw, who graduated from Burges High School, was a DPS trooper and investigator for more than six years before he joined the FBI in 1983. He was appointed to lead the FBI's Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force in 2001.
Three years later, he retired from the FBI, and Gov. Rick Perry hired him to direct homeland security operations in Texas.
"Steve McCraw is a trusted adviser of the governor and a well-qualified candidate for a number of positions," Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody said.
McCraw has been instrumental in implementing Perry's state-led border security efforts, and helping secure state and federal money for local law enforcement to increase patrols in high-crime areas.
El Paso County Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca said McCraw would enhance his department's already cooperative relationship with the DPS.
Don Reay, executive director of the Texas Border Sheriff's coalition, called McCraw a law-enforcement visionary with impeccable integrity and valuable experience.
"Texas would be very lucky to have a guy like him," Reay said.
The Public Safety Commission will first choose an interim director and then will embark on a national search for a permanent DPS leader, Chairman Allan Polunsky said. He added that the commission has no time table for making its choice.
He declined to comment on McCraw, but said the commission would seek someone who "can bring the department squarely into the 21st century."
McCraw has been at the center of some controversy with lawmakers in the past. He faced tough questioning during the 2007 legislative session about whether border security grant dollars were used appropriately, and about how the governor's office used an extensive database containing personal information about Texans.
State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, was among those who grilled McCraw about how border security money was used to enforce immigration law.
McCraw, Shapleigh said, has the experience and law-enforcement background.
He declined to discuss specific concerns he might have about McCraw as a potential DPS leader.
McCraw said he couldn't comment on whether he'd like the job.
"I'm confident the Public Safety Commission in the end will select a highly qualified and capable person," he said. "We'll see how it works out."
Brandi Grissom may be reached at bgrissom@elpasotimes.com; 512-479-6606.
Article Launched: 08/02/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
AUSTIN -- Some Texas border sheriffs said Friday that they've already made their pick for the next leader of the state's top law enforcement agency: El Pasoan Steve McCraw, Texas Homeland Security director.
"He's a good man," Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West said. "He'll do the righteous thing and put DPS back to the basics, where it needs to be."
The Texas Public Safety Commission is set to start the process of choosing a director of the Texas Department of Public Safety to replace Col. Thomas Davis, who will retire Aug. 31. His retirement comes as the department faces a storm of criticism and calls for modernization in the wake of security gaps that allowed an arsonist to set the governor's mansion ablaze in June.
"It's time for renewal and for bettering our systems and equipment to meet modern-day law enforcement challenges," said state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, chairman of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee.
Though candidates have not been chosen, Carona said, McCraw's name has been among those mentioned to take the helm of the 8,000-employee department.
"He is eminently qualified," Carona said.
McCraw, who graduated from Burges High School, was a DPS trooper and investigator for more than six years before he joined the FBI in 1983. He was appointed to lead the FBI's Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force in 2001.
Three years later, he retired from the FBI, and Gov. Rick Perry hired him to direct homeland security operations in Texas.
"Steve McCraw is a trusted adviser of the governor and a well-qualified candidate for a number of positions," Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody said.
McCraw has been instrumental in implementing Perry's state-led border security efforts, and helping secure state and federal money for local law enforcement to increase patrols in high-crime areas.
El Paso County Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca said McCraw would enhance his department's already cooperative relationship with the DPS.
Don Reay, executive director of the Texas Border Sheriff's coalition, called McCraw a law-enforcement visionary with impeccable integrity and valuable experience.
"Texas would be very lucky to have a guy like him," Reay said.
The Public Safety Commission will first choose an interim director and then will embark on a national search for a permanent DPS leader, Chairman Allan Polunsky said. He added that the commission has no time table for making its choice.
He declined to comment on McCraw, but said the commission would seek someone who "can bring the department squarely into the 21st century."
McCraw has been at the center of some controversy with lawmakers in the past. He faced tough questioning during the 2007 legislative session about whether border security grant dollars were used appropriately, and about how the governor's office used an extensive database containing personal information about Texans.
State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, was among those who grilled McCraw about how border security money was used to enforce immigration law.
McCraw, Shapleigh said, has the experience and law-enforcement background.
He declined to discuss specific concerns he might have about McCraw as a potential DPS leader.
McCraw said he couldn't comment on whether he'd like the job.
"I'm confident the Public Safety Commission in the end will select a highly qualified and capable person," he said. "We'll see how it works out."
Brandi Grissom may be reached at bgrissom@elpasotimes.com; 512-479-6606.
July 9, 2008
Authorities Investigating Holiday Bust
Wednesday , July 09, 2008 Posted: 04:29 PM
Over $250,000 found inside care
HARLINGEN - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents continue to work leads to locate and arrest the person or persons responsible for concealing approximately $276,880.00 in U.S. currency inside a Honda truck.
On July 4, a DPS Trooper in Raymondville initiated a vehicle traffic stop along U.S. Highway 77. According to DPS, a consent search of the vehicle revealed the money hidden inside the pick-up truck. The driver was questioned but was not charged.
ICE has launched an investigation into bulk cash smuggling. The investigation into this case is ongoing.
Over $250,000 found inside care
HARLINGEN - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents continue to work leads to locate and arrest the person or persons responsible for concealing approximately $276,880.00 in U.S. currency inside a Honda truck.
On July 4, a DPS Trooper in Raymondville initiated a vehicle traffic stop along U.S. Highway 77. According to DPS, a consent search of the vehicle revealed the money hidden inside the pick-up truck. The driver was questioned but was not charged.
ICE has launched an investigation into bulk cash smuggling. The investigation into this case is ongoing.
Shapleigh: For border security, listen to the border community
"Border communities such as El Paso have the most to win or lose by the right or wrong approach to border security." -- state sen. Eliot Shapleigh, speaking at the opening of a committee hearing in El Paso.
The following opening statement was given by Senator Eliot Shapleigh at the Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security hearing held today, July 9, in El Paso, Texas:
***
"Good morning members, it is great to have you here in God's Country. Today, the committee will be taking testimony on illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and the surge in cartel related violence in El Paso’s sister city, Ciudad Juarez.
"As of today, more than 500 people have been murdered in Juarez this year. About 80 percent of the murders are related to the drug trade.
"The violence has included kidnappings, car-to-car shootings on boulevards, and innocent bystanders being pelted by machine gun fire in broad daylight. The violence has even spread to the tourist zones.
"The horrific and escalating violence in Juarez, Mexico, underscores the importance of having a well-funded, coordinated and competent Texas border security program.
"One of the most important challenges facing this committee is coming up with an effective and proven approach to curtailing the violence and bloodshed that stems from the drug trade. Recently, the National Drug Intelligence Center released a "Situation Report" showing that Mexican drug trafficking organizations operate in 195 American cities. Our challenge is now the nation’s challenge.
"As a fifth generation El Pasoan, I support Rick Perry and David Dewhurst’s efforts to provide safe streets and strong communities in every corner of Texas.
"Border communities such as El Paso have the most to win or lose by the right or wrong approach to border security.
"According to Mexico and anti-narcotics experts, the drug war, led by the Juarez Cartel, has three fronts: battling rival cartels to the East, fighting cartels to the West, and neutralizing the anti-narcotics forces within the Calderon administration.
"The best model is a tried and proven model, such as the successful joint local, state, and federal efforts in New York and Sicily to disrupt international Mafia operations in the 1980s. To succeed, Texas law enforcement must have the will to fight, to identify who we can work with, and to stay the course.
"What we need is an effective, targeted Department of Public Safety (DPS) team aimed at arresting key cartel operatives, forfeiting cartel assets, and disrupting corridor movement of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, all in coordination with local and Federal law enforcement.
"Our great state should move quickly and confidently to establish such DPS teams along every major north-south corridor.
"One key to success is community-based policing—and community-based policing does not work with local immigration enforcement. To succeed in our Border communities and in major corridor initiatives, we must take great care to avoid the racial profiling violations of earlier border security initiatives in Texas, such as Operation Linebacker, that targeted innocent mothers dropping their children off at school.
"As you will hear today, local law enforcement in El Paso believes that community-based policing can succeed only if the community trusts the police. Mixing local law enforcement with immigration enforcement creates a climate of distrust where the color of one’s skin determines who will, and will not, be stopped. Today, El Paso is the nation’s third safest city, so we believe that our community has much to share with others on the right strategies to keep the peace. Ultimately, immigration is a federal issue, and the expertise and costs should reside there, not in Border communities or state budgets.
"With bold and courageous leaders we can accomplish both objectives—protecting our national security and the rights of our citizens. From Theodore Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy, our nation has demonstrated the capacity to maximize the security of Americans without sacrificing our basic freedoms—regardless of who you are, where you live, or what happens to be the color of your skin.
"With that I close, and turn to our expert witnesses for their help in crafting the right approach to battling the drug trade, enforcing Border security, and maintaining safe streets in all of Texas."
The following opening statement was given by Senator Eliot Shapleigh at the Senate Committee on Transportation & Homeland Security hearing held today, July 9, in El Paso, Texas:
***
"Good morning members, it is great to have you here in God's Country. Today, the committee will be taking testimony on illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and the surge in cartel related violence in El Paso’s sister city, Ciudad Juarez.
"As of today, more than 500 people have been murdered in Juarez this year. About 80 percent of the murders are related to the drug trade.
"The violence has included kidnappings, car-to-car shootings on boulevards, and innocent bystanders being pelted by machine gun fire in broad daylight. The violence has even spread to the tourist zones.
"The horrific and escalating violence in Juarez, Mexico, underscores the importance of having a well-funded, coordinated and competent Texas border security program.
"One of the most important challenges facing this committee is coming up with an effective and proven approach to curtailing the violence and bloodshed that stems from the drug trade. Recently, the National Drug Intelligence Center released a "Situation Report" showing that Mexican drug trafficking organizations operate in 195 American cities. Our challenge is now the nation’s challenge.
"As a fifth generation El Pasoan, I support Rick Perry and David Dewhurst’s efforts to provide safe streets and strong communities in every corner of Texas.
"Border communities such as El Paso have the most to win or lose by the right or wrong approach to border security.
"According to Mexico and anti-narcotics experts, the drug war, led by the Juarez Cartel, has three fronts: battling rival cartels to the East, fighting cartels to the West, and neutralizing the anti-narcotics forces within the Calderon administration.
"The best model is a tried and proven model, such as the successful joint local, state, and federal efforts in New York and Sicily to disrupt international Mafia operations in the 1980s. To succeed, Texas law enforcement must have the will to fight, to identify who we can work with, and to stay the course.
"What we need is an effective, targeted Department of Public Safety (DPS) team aimed at arresting key cartel operatives, forfeiting cartel assets, and disrupting corridor movement of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, all in coordination with local and Federal law enforcement.
"Our great state should move quickly and confidently to establish such DPS teams along every major north-south corridor.
"One key to success is community-based policing—and community-based policing does not work with local immigration enforcement. To succeed in our Border communities and in major corridor initiatives, we must take great care to avoid the racial profiling violations of earlier border security initiatives in Texas, such as Operation Linebacker, that targeted innocent mothers dropping their children off at school.
"As you will hear today, local law enforcement in El Paso believes that community-based policing can succeed only if the community trusts the police. Mixing local law enforcement with immigration enforcement creates a climate of distrust where the color of one’s skin determines who will, and will not, be stopped. Today, El Paso is the nation’s third safest city, so we believe that our community has much to share with others on the right strategies to keep the peace. Ultimately, immigration is a federal issue, and the expertise and costs should reside there, not in Border communities or state budgets.
"With bold and courageous leaders we can accomplish both objectives—protecting our national security and the rights of our citizens. From Theodore Roosevelt to John F. Kennedy, our nation has demonstrated the capacity to maximize the security of Americans without sacrificing our basic freedoms—regardless of who you are, where you live, or what happens to be the color of your skin.
"With that I close, and turn to our expert witnesses for their help in crafting the right approach to battling the drug trade, enforcing Border security, and maintaining safe streets in all of Texas."
June 30, 2008
Border Patrol, State of Texas Partnering to Stop Human Trafficking and Contraband
Border Patrol, State of Texas Partnering to Stop Human Trafficking and Contraband
June 30, 2008
The Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) have partnered together to begin cracking down on commercial truckers who knowingly smuggle illegal weapons, drugs or humans across the Texas-Mexico border.
Governor Rick Perry directed the DPS to work with Border Patrol, in an initiative dubbed “Texas Hold ‘Em,” to revoke the commercial driver licenses of those convicted of felony smuggling.
“The vast majority of Texas truckers are law-abiding citizens who work incredibly long hours to feed their families and keep our economy moving,” Perry said. “But there are those who are breaking the law to make a quick buck. And to those law breakers, we are sending the message: If you knowingly smuggle goods across the Texas border, you will lose your license and your livelihood.”
Chief of the Border Patrol, David V. Aguilar, praises the new initiative as an effective deterrent to active smuggling and to identify illegal activity.
“This program is a collaborative effort,” said Chief Aguilar. “It is a crucial enforcement component to help bring security to the Texas border.”
Texas border security operations have put mounting pressure on Mexican crime cartels and other crime organizations to find alternate ways of smuggling contraband into the state. This includes recruiting commercial drivers to transport contraband, including drugs and humans, across the border in return for bribes.
Due to these increased illegal recruitment efforts, the Border Patrol recognized the need to establish a process ensuring DPS receives the necessary court documents to suspend violators’ driver licenses upon a felony smuggling conviction. As part of Governor Perry’s ongoing efforts to secure our border through coordinated state-federal efforts, he has instructed DPS to work with Border Patrol to enforce this law.
In the first eight months of fiscal year 2008, Border Patrol agents in Texas intercepted 423 tractor trailers resulting in the detainment of more than 1,800 undocumented immigrants and more than 112,000 pounds of illegal drugs. In the Laredo area, 330 truck drivers have been caught smuggling drugs or humans into Texas in the last 18 months.
“DPS, in cooperation with the U.S. Border Patrol, is pleased to have established this process for reporting felony convictions for commercial drivers who have committed felonies by transporting drugs and/or undocumented aliens in a commercial vehicle,” said Chief of DPS Driver License Division Judy Brown. “Taking action to revoke the privilege of these drivers will further assist our efforts to increase safety on the public roadways and to increase the security of our nation’s border.”
June 30, 2008
The Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) have partnered together to begin cracking down on commercial truckers who knowingly smuggle illegal weapons, drugs or humans across the Texas-Mexico border.
Governor Rick Perry directed the DPS to work with Border Patrol, in an initiative dubbed “Texas Hold ‘Em,” to revoke the commercial driver licenses of those convicted of felony smuggling.
“The vast majority of Texas truckers are law-abiding citizens who work incredibly long hours to feed their families and keep our economy moving,” Perry said. “But there are those who are breaking the law to make a quick buck. And to those law breakers, we are sending the message: If you knowingly smuggle goods across the Texas border, you will lose your license and your livelihood.”
Chief of the Border Patrol, David V. Aguilar, praises the new initiative as an effective deterrent to active smuggling and to identify illegal activity.
“This program is a collaborative effort,” said Chief Aguilar. “It is a crucial enforcement component to help bring security to the Texas border.”
Texas border security operations have put mounting pressure on Mexican crime cartels and other crime organizations to find alternate ways of smuggling contraband into the state. This includes recruiting commercial drivers to transport contraband, including drugs and humans, across the border in return for bribes.
Due to these increased illegal recruitment efforts, the Border Patrol recognized the need to establish a process ensuring DPS receives the necessary court documents to suspend violators’ driver licenses upon a felony smuggling conviction. As part of Governor Perry’s ongoing efforts to secure our border through coordinated state-federal efforts, he has instructed DPS to work with Border Patrol to enforce this law.
In the first eight months of fiscal year 2008, Border Patrol agents in Texas intercepted 423 tractor trailers resulting in the detainment of more than 1,800 undocumented immigrants and more than 112,000 pounds of illegal drugs. In the Laredo area, 330 truck drivers have been caught smuggling drugs or humans into Texas in the last 18 months.
“DPS, in cooperation with the U.S. Border Patrol, is pleased to have established this process for reporting felony convictions for commercial drivers who have committed felonies by transporting drugs and/or undocumented aliens in a commercial vehicle,” said Chief of DPS Driver License Division Judy Brown. “Taking action to revoke the privilege of these drivers will further assist our efforts to increase safety on the public roadways and to increase the security of our nation’s border.”
Operation FALCON 2008 Rounds Up Dangerous Fugitives in the Permian Basin
Operation FALCON 2008 Rounds Up Dangerous Fugitives in the Permian Basin
June 30, 2008
Midland, TX – Following a four-year tradition of success in its national efforts, the U.S. Marshals Service locally conducted another successful Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) from June 23-June 29. Led by the U.S. Marshal Service, Operation FALCON is a nationwide law enforcement effort.
Operation FALCON 2008–Permian Basin, combined the collective efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies focusing on capturing individuals wanted on Federal and State felony charges including narcotics violations, state parole and probation violations, and other crimes of violence. Over the course of the six-day operation, the combined resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers arrested 105 fugitives, and cleared 121 warrants in the Permian Basin.
“This operation, along with the ongoing efforts of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in the Western District of Texas, provides a clear indication of our commitment to ensuring the safety of our community” said LaFayette Collins, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas. “The combined efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement should send a strong message to those who are wanted, that there is no safe haven for them to hide.“
Operation FALCON – Permian Basin, consisted of officers with The U.S. Marshals from Midland, Pecos, and Alpine, Midland Police Department, Odessa Police Department, Midland County Sheriff’s Office, Ector County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Texas Department of Public Safety, and Midland Independent School District Police.
Since its inception in 2005, Operation FALCON has made over 36,500 arrests and cleared over 45,300 warrants. It continues to be the largest and most successful fugitive apprehension effort in U.S. Marshals history.
For more information about the U.S. Marshals Service, visit http://www.usmarshals.gov.
America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
June 30, 2008 Phill Maxwell, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal
(432) 686-4100, ext.223
Billy Johnson, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal
(432) 445-5495, ext. 44
June 30, 2008
Midland, TX – Following a four-year tradition of success in its national efforts, the U.S. Marshals Service locally conducted another successful Operation FALCON (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally) from June 23-June 29. Led by the U.S. Marshal Service, Operation FALCON is a nationwide law enforcement effort.
Operation FALCON 2008–Permian Basin, combined the collective efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies focusing on capturing individuals wanted on Federal and State felony charges including narcotics violations, state parole and probation violations, and other crimes of violence. Over the course of the six-day operation, the combined resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers arrested 105 fugitives, and cleared 121 warrants in the Permian Basin.
“This operation, along with the ongoing efforts of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in the Western District of Texas, provides a clear indication of our commitment to ensuring the safety of our community” said LaFayette Collins, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas. “The combined efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement should send a strong message to those who are wanted, that there is no safe haven for them to hide.“
Operation FALCON – Permian Basin, consisted of officers with The U.S. Marshals from Midland, Pecos, and Alpine, Midland Police Department, Odessa Police Department, Midland County Sheriff’s Office, Ector County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Texas Department of Public Safety, and Midland Independent School District Police.
Since its inception in 2005, Operation FALCON has made over 36,500 arrests and cleared over 45,300 warrants. It continues to be the largest and most successful fugitive apprehension effort in U.S. Marshals history.
For more information about the U.S. Marshals Service, visit http://www.usmarshals.gov.
America’s Oldest Federal Law Enforcement Agency
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
June 30, 2008 Phill Maxwell, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal
(432) 686-4100, ext.223
Billy Johnson, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal
(432) 445-5495, ext. 44
223 arrested in sweep
By Daniel Borunda / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 06/30/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
A U.S. Marshals deputy and another law enforcement officer take positions to secure an El Paso home during a warrant roundup last week named Operation Falcon 08. (Courtesy of U.S. Marshals Service )More than 200 fugitives, including a reputed member of a street gang linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, were arrested last week in El Paso by a small army of law enforcement officers as part of one of the largest warrant sweeps in the city in years.
The massive number of arrests were part of Operation Falcon 08, a multi-agency effort lead by the U.S. Marshals Service intended to catch people wanted on warrants for violent crimes, sex offenses and other crimes.
"We measure success one fugitive at a time," LaFayette Collins, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement. "Any time we remove a sexual predator, gang member, or other violent felon, that street, a neighborhood and a community became a little safer."
Operation Falcon, which stands for Federal And Local Cops Organized Nationally, is an effort that has taken place in different cities throughout the United States in recent years but had not in El Paso since 2006. The effort included the work of El Paso police, sheriff's deputies and several state and federal agencies.
The operation netted 223 arrests with 321 warrants cleared, including 69 people wanted for violent crimes, 14 for sex offenses and 70 in drug cases, officials said.
U.S. Marshals Service officials said arrests began throughout El Paso in the pre-dawn hours a week ago today and continued daily through Saturday. The arrests were conducted by 80 officers from various federal, state and local agencies organized into 10 teams.
"We participate in many initiatives and this is one of them," El Paso County Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca said. "We do this to make sure El Paso is a better and safer place to live by going after people wanted on warrants."
Among those arrested was Elbert Mullin, an alleged member of the Georgia Boys, connected to the Gangster Disciples, U.S. Marshals Service supervisory deputy Gerry Payan said.
The Gangster Disciples, which was created in south Chicago in the 1960s, is one of the largest street gangs in the nation.
The Georgia Boys have been linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, according to a U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command report in 2006 about gang activity in the military.
In 2006, four soldiers believed to be associated with the Georgia Boys assaulted and robbed two soldiers in a parking lot on post, stated the report labeled as law enforcement sensitive. Two of the soldiers in the robbery were court-martialed and found guilty. The other two were found guilty of violating Army regulations.
The report assessed the gang threat at Fort Bliss as "low."
Mullin, 28, was allegedly in possession of a handgun when he was captured Friday on two prior counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and other charges, Payan said. It was unknown if Mullin has ties to the military.
The round up included a total of 12 suspected members of various gangs.
Assistant Chief Deputy Michael Troyanski of the Marshals Service in El Paso said such warrant operations are vital since fugitives pose one of the greatest risks to the law enforcement because they are more likely to assault an officer in an attempt to evade capture.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com;546-6102.
Operation Falcon
Operation Falcon 08 in El Paso consisted of officers from:
U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol, Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Probation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Texas Office of the Inspector General, El Paso County Sheriff's Office, El Paso Police Department and El Paso County Constable Precinct 5.
Article Launched: 06/30/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT
A U.S. Marshals deputy and another law enforcement officer take positions to secure an El Paso home during a warrant roundup last week named Operation Falcon 08. (Courtesy of U.S. Marshals Service )More than 200 fugitives, including a reputed member of a street gang linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, were arrested last week in El Paso by a small army of law enforcement officers as part of one of the largest warrant sweeps in the city in years.
The massive number of arrests were part of Operation Falcon 08, a multi-agency effort lead by the U.S. Marshals Service intended to catch people wanted on warrants for violent crimes, sex offenses and other crimes.
"We measure success one fugitive at a time," LaFayette Collins, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Texas, said in a statement. "Any time we remove a sexual predator, gang member, or other violent felon, that street, a neighborhood and a community became a little safer."
Operation Falcon, which stands for Federal And Local Cops Organized Nationally, is an effort that has taken place in different cities throughout the United States in recent years but had not in El Paso since 2006. The effort included the work of El Paso police, sheriff's deputies and several state and federal agencies.
The operation netted 223 arrests with 321 warrants cleared, including 69 people wanted for violent crimes, 14 for sex offenses and 70 in drug cases, officials said.
U.S. Marshals Service officials said arrests began throughout El Paso in the pre-dawn hours a week ago today and continued daily through Saturday. The arrests were conducted by 80 officers from various federal, state and local agencies organized into 10 teams.
"We participate in many initiatives and this is one of them," El Paso County Sheriff Jimmy Apodaca said. "We do this to make sure El Paso is a better and safer place to live by going after people wanted on warrants."
Among those arrested was Elbert Mullin, an alleged member of the Georgia Boys, connected to the Gangster Disciples, U.S. Marshals Service supervisory deputy Gerry Payan said.
The Gangster Disciples, which was created in south Chicago in the 1960s, is one of the largest street gangs in the nation.
The Georgia Boys have been linked to soldiers at Fort Bliss, according to a U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command report in 2006 about gang activity in the military.
In 2006, four soldiers believed to be associated with the Georgia Boys assaulted and robbed two soldiers in a parking lot on post, stated the report labeled as law enforcement sensitive. Two of the soldiers in the robbery were court-martialed and found guilty. The other two were found guilty of violating Army regulations.
The report assessed the gang threat at Fort Bliss as "low."
Mullin, 28, was allegedly in possession of a handgun when he was captured Friday on two prior counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and other charges, Payan said. It was unknown if Mullin has ties to the military.
The round up included a total of 12 suspected members of various gangs.
Assistant Chief Deputy Michael Troyanski of the Marshals Service in El Paso said such warrant operations are vital since fugitives pose one of the greatest risks to the law enforcement because they are more likely to assault an officer in an attempt to evade capture.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com;546-6102.
Operation Falcon
Operation Falcon 08 in El Paso consisted of officers from:
U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol, Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Probation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, Texas Office of the Inspector General, El Paso County Sheriff's Office, El Paso Police Department and El Paso County Constable Precinct 5.
June 25, 2008
Official overseeing Texas DPS promises to modernize agency
Jun. 25, 2008
By JOHN MORITZ
AUSTIN — The head of the commission that oversees the Texas Department of Public Safety promised lawmakers Tuesday that he’s taking aggressive steps to modernize the elite law enforcement agency and challenged them to hold him accountable if he fails.
"My opinion is that the buck is going to stop with me," Public Safety Commission Chairman Allan Polunsky told the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, an arm of the Legislature that periodically evaluates the performances of state agencies.
His remarks came in response to a blistering review of DPS that identified faults with the agency’s recruitment efforts and promotion policies and with the way it manages driver’s license issuance and motor vehicle inspections. Polunsky did not delve too deeply into specifics but was receptive to recommendations in the Sunset report that DPS adopt customer-friendly business models for the driver’s license and vehicle inspection programs.
Outside expert
Polunsky said the DPS is hiring a consultant to recommend policy updates and to examine a top-to-bottom agency overhaul.
He also suggested that the agency’s day-to-day top executive, DPS Col. Tommy Davis, would be well advised to embrace rather than resist efforts to streamline the department.
"There’s no discussion at this point about replacing Col. Davis," Polunsky told reporters after the hearing. "If he is unsuccessful or unwilling to [implement new programs], and I’m speaking in the hypothetical, then we’ll find someone else."
Davis, a longtime DPS administrator who has run the agency for the past eight years, testified alongside Polunsky, assuring the panel that he recognizes the need for modernizing the agency. But he also said the DPS is in better shape than ever. He declined to talk with reporters after testifying.
Lawmakers’ concerns
Several commission members raised concerns about a range of DPS problems, from excessively long lines to renew driver’s licenses to the growing shortage of state troopers aggravated by competition from local and federal law enforcement agencies.
"We spend a lot of money training those guys," said state Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, referring to the six months recruit troopers spend in the agency’s academy. "We’re training them for somebody else."
Polunsky said that even though the Legislature boosted troopers’ pay in 2005 and in 2007, cities like Fort Worth and Houston pay their police officers more.
State Reps. Linda Harper Brown, R-Irving, and Dan Flynn, R-Van, said they have heard that troopers are dissuaded from arresting people who enter the country illegally or traffic in human smuggling.
"Is it a practice of the department not to enforce these laws?" Harper Brown asked.
Davis replied that immigration is a federal matter and that when troopers encounter illegal immigrants in the course of investigating state crimes or during a traffic stop, they notify federal officials.
No update on mansion fire
The commission’s report was drafted before the June 8 arson fire at the Governor’s Mansion, and although DPS has been criticized for having only one trooper on duty when the arsonist struck, lawmakers on the panel largely steered clear of the topic. Polunsky did say the investigation is continuing and that he looks forward to making the findings public.
www.txdps.state.tx.us John Moritz reports from the Star-Telegram’s Austin bureau, 512-476-4294.
By JOHN MORITZ
AUSTIN — The head of the commission that oversees the Texas Department of Public Safety promised lawmakers Tuesday that he’s taking aggressive steps to modernize the elite law enforcement agency and challenged them to hold him accountable if he fails.
"My opinion is that the buck is going to stop with me," Public Safety Commission Chairman Allan Polunsky told the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, an arm of the Legislature that periodically evaluates the performances of state agencies.
His remarks came in response to a blistering review of DPS that identified faults with the agency’s recruitment efforts and promotion policies and with the way it manages driver’s license issuance and motor vehicle inspections. Polunsky did not delve too deeply into specifics but was receptive to recommendations in the Sunset report that DPS adopt customer-friendly business models for the driver’s license and vehicle inspection programs.
Outside expert
Polunsky said the DPS is hiring a consultant to recommend policy updates and to examine a top-to-bottom agency overhaul.
He also suggested that the agency’s day-to-day top executive, DPS Col. Tommy Davis, would be well advised to embrace rather than resist efforts to streamline the department.
"There’s no discussion at this point about replacing Col. Davis," Polunsky told reporters after the hearing. "If he is unsuccessful or unwilling to [implement new programs], and I’m speaking in the hypothetical, then we’ll find someone else."
Davis, a longtime DPS administrator who has run the agency for the past eight years, testified alongside Polunsky, assuring the panel that he recognizes the need for modernizing the agency. But he also said the DPS is in better shape than ever. He declined to talk with reporters after testifying.
Lawmakers’ concerns
Several commission members raised concerns about a range of DPS problems, from excessively long lines to renew driver’s licenses to the growing shortage of state troopers aggravated by competition from local and federal law enforcement agencies.
"We spend a lot of money training those guys," said state Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, referring to the six months recruit troopers spend in the agency’s academy. "We’re training them for somebody else."
Polunsky said that even though the Legislature boosted troopers’ pay in 2005 and in 2007, cities like Fort Worth and Houston pay their police officers more.
State Reps. Linda Harper Brown, R-Irving, and Dan Flynn, R-Van, said they have heard that troopers are dissuaded from arresting people who enter the country illegally or traffic in human smuggling.
"Is it a practice of the department not to enforce these laws?" Harper Brown asked.
Davis replied that immigration is a federal matter and that when troopers encounter illegal immigrants in the course of investigating state crimes or during a traffic stop, they notify federal officials.
No update on mansion fire
The commission’s report was drafted before the June 8 arson fire at the Governor’s Mansion, and although DPS has been criticized for having only one trooper on duty when the arsonist struck, lawmakers on the panel largely steered clear of the topic. Polunsky did say the investigation is continuing and that he looks forward to making the findings public.
www.txdps.state.tx.us John Moritz reports from the Star-Telegram’s Austin bureau, 512-476-4294.
June 24, 2008
DPS faces new grilling by Sunset Commission
DPS faces new grilling by Sunset Commission
Mansion fire security - and now Perry's criticism - add to tough times at DPS.
By Mike Ward
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
First came a critical legislative review that described the Department of Public Safety as a hidebound agency resistant to modernization. Then came revelations about sloppy security at the Governor's Mansion the night an arson fire nearly destroyed it.
On Monday, Gov. Rick Perry weighed in and gave the agency no quarter.
It's been a tough few months for DPS officials, who manage Texas' elite law enforcement agency — with little relief in sight.
Today, the embattled agency faces another public grilling at the Capitol over management and operations issues.
At a public hearing, the state Sunset Advisory Commission is to discuss a highly critical May report that recommends changes in how DPS does its business, from a promotion policy that critics claim contributes to a chronic shortage of state troopers to the agency's intelligence gathering on terrorism.
On Monday, Gov. Rick Perry, in his first public comments since the security shortcomings at the mansion were made public last week, joined other critics in questioning why top DPS brass did not have adequate security at the historical manse despite repeated warnings of problems.
"We're disappointed that there was not the response from some of those who realized that there were some lapses there and that the leadership had not accepted those," Perry told reporters Monday, adding that additional funding would not have solved the problem, as some DPS officials have suggested.
Even top DPS officials do not appear to be on the same page about how to clear up some questions raised in the Sunset report, although those could be resolved today in an unusual emergency meeting of the agency's governing board, just before the Sunset Commission begins its public hearing.
"There are a number of issues that are on the table," said Allan Polunsky, a San Antonio attorney who chairs the Texas Public Safety Commission, the department's governing board. "That's one of the reasons that we're having an organizational assessment done on the entire department."
With Perry and legislative leaders queued up to get answers for the growing list of reported problems at DPS, officials there insist many of the issues are beyond their control. And while they are mostly mum publicly, not wanting to irritate the state's leadership at a time when their budget and future could hang in the balance, troopers' advocacy groups say the basic problem is simple.
"They're just stretched too darn thin," said Don Dickson, an Austin lawyer who represents the Texas State Troopers Association, a lobby group. "The agency doesn't have enough people to do the job."
"It's a damned shame the Governor's Mansion had to burn to get this point across."
According to DPS officials, the agency is 248 troopers short of its authorized strength of 3,458.
And with as many as 100 or more troopers expected to retire in August — when they become eligible with 30 years of service — the department could be down as many as 600 in coming years, officials said.
"Blame this on the baby boomers," department spokeswoman Tela Mange said. "As they age out, we expect they will leave. Plus, we're seeing a lot of competition from federal and local law enforcement agencies, the military and private security companies."
While department officials will not discuss specifics of the trooper shortage and how it affects law enforcement, they insist the agency is maximizing its stretched resources.
"We do the absolute best we can with the resources we have and the responsibilities we have," Mange said.
Other states are facing much the same problem, she and officials in other states said.
Amid that shortage, officials reassigned 20 troopers to the Capitol complex to beef up security in the aftermath of the mansion fire. And dozens more have been redeployed to counties along the Mexican border at Perry's urging to crack down on immigrant smuggling and a crime spree related to Mexico's warring drug cartels.
"We have whole counties without coverage," Dickson said.
Mange and other DPS officials said they do not discuss security specifics and cannot respond to Dickson's assertion.
In preliminary findings, the agency acknowledged that too few troopers had been assigned to guard the mansion, that the officers stationed there had been poorly trained in operating the security cameras and infrared intruder sensors, and that the flaws had gone uncorrected for months.
At its meeting last week, the Public Safety Commission gave hints that there is disagreement on what should be done.
Commissioner Tom Clowe said he does not necessarily favor a Sunset recommendation to apply a "civilian business management model" to the driver's license bureau, a move that could add civilian staffers to replace troopers so that the troopers could be assigned to law enforcement duties.
In addition, there appeared to be differing opinions on another Sunset recommendation to modify the department's longstanding promotion policy to allow troopers to ask for assignment to specific cities and towns. Under current policy, the agency can require them to move for a promotion.
Other findings in the Sunset report: The agency poorly manages the vehicle inspection program, and it should be turned over to civilian operation; the agency's current program for handling suspended driver's licenses "wastes government resources"; and the agency should review its entire management and organizational structure — unchanged for years — amid concerns that it may be outdated and cumbersome.
Polunsky said he supports anything that will make the agency more effective and efficient without compromising public safety. Dickson said he, too, supports reforms to a bureaucracy that he insists has long been known for its "bullheaded, ham-fisted personnel policies."
"It's going to take both the Legislature and the department to fix this," he said.
mward@statesman.com; 445-1712
Mansion fire security - and now Perry's criticism - add to tough times at DPS.
By Mike Ward
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
First came a critical legislative review that described the Department of Public Safety as a hidebound agency resistant to modernization. Then came revelations about sloppy security at the Governor's Mansion the night an arson fire nearly destroyed it.
On Monday, Gov. Rick Perry weighed in and gave the agency no quarter.
It's been a tough few months for DPS officials, who manage Texas' elite law enforcement agency — with little relief in sight.
Today, the embattled agency faces another public grilling at the Capitol over management and operations issues.
At a public hearing, the state Sunset Advisory Commission is to discuss a highly critical May report that recommends changes in how DPS does its business, from a promotion policy that critics claim contributes to a chronic shortage of state troopers to the agency's intelligence gathering on terrorism.
On Monday, Gov. Rick Perry, in his first public comments since the security shortcomings at the mansion were made public last week, joined other critics in questioning why top DPS brass did not have adequate security at the historical manse despite repeated warnings of problems.
"We're disappointed that there was not the response from some of those who realized that there were some lapses there and that the leadership had not accepted those," Perry told reporters Monday, adding that additional funding would not have solved the problem, as some DPS officials have suggested.
Even top DPS officials do not appear to be on the same page about how to clear up some questions raised in the Sunset report, although those could be resolved today in an unusual emergency meeting of the agency's governing board, just before the Sunset Commission begins its public hearing.
"There are a number of issues that are on the table," said Allan Polunsky, a San Antonio attorney who chairs the Texas Public Safety Commission, the department's governing board. "That's one of the reasons that we're having an organizational assessment done on the entire department."
With Perry and legislative leaders queued up to get answers for the growing list of reported problems at DPS, officials there insist many of the issues are beyond their control. And while they are mostly mum publicly, not wanting to irritate the state's leadership at a time when their budget and future could hang in the balance, troopers' advocacy groups say the basic problem is simple.
"They're just stretched too darn thin," said Don Dickson, an Austin lawyer who represents the Texas State Troopers Association, a lobby group. "The agency doesn't have enough people to do the job."
"It's a damned shame the Governor's Mansion had to burn to get this point across."
According to DPS officials, the agency is 248 troopers short of its authorized strength of 3,458.
And with as many as 100 or more troopers expected to retire in August — when they become eligible with 30 years of service — the department could be down as many as 600 in coming years, officials said.
"Blame this on the baby boomers," department spokeswoman Tela Mange said. "As they age out, we expect they will leave. Plus, we're seeing a lot of competition from federal and local law enforcement agencies, the military and private security companies."
While department officials will not discuss specifics of the trooper shortage and how it affects law enforcement, they insist the agency is maximizing its stretched resources.
"We do the absolute best we can with the resources we have and the responsibilities we have," Mange said.
Other states are facing much the same problem, she and officials in other states said.
Amid that shortage, officials reassigned 20 troopers to the Capitol complex to beef up security in the aftermath of the mansion fire. And dozens more have been redeployed to counties along the Mexican border at Perry's urging to crack down on immigrant smuggling and a crime spree related to Mexico's warring drug cartels.
"We have whole counties without coverage," Dickson said.
Mange and other DPS officials said they do not discuss security specifics and cannot respond to Dickson's assertion.
In preliminary findings, the agency acknowledged that too few troopers had been assigned to guard the mansion, that the officers stationed there had been poorly trained in operating the security cameras and infrared intruder sensors, and that the flaws had gone uncorrected for months.
At its meeting last week, the Public Safety Commission gave hints that there is disagreement on what should be done.
Commissioner Tom Clowe said he does not necessarily favor a Sunset recommendation to apply a "civilian business management model" to the driver's license bureau, a move that could add civilian staffers to replace troopers so that the troopers could be assigned to law enforcement duties.
In addition, there appeared to be differing opinions on another Sunset recommendation to modify the department's longstanding promotion policy to allow troopers to ask for assignment to specific cities and towns. Under current policy, the agency can require them to move for a promotion.
Other findings in the Sunset report: The agency poorly manages the vehicle inspection program, and it should be turned over to civilian operation; the agency's current program for handling suspended driver's licenses "wastes government resources"; and the agency should review its entire management and organizational structure — unchanged for years — amid concerns that it may be outdated and cumbersome.
Polunsky said he supports anything that will make the agency more effective and efficient without compromising public safety. Dickson said he, too, supports reforms to a bureaucracy that he insists has long been known for its "bullheaded, ham-fisted personnel policies."
"It's going to take both the Legislature and the department to fix this," he said.
mward@statesman.com; 445-1712
June 21, 2008
Texas Department of Public Safety facing shortage of troopers
Posted on Sat, Jun. 21, 2008
Texas Department of Public Safety facing shortage of troopers
By JOHN MORITZjmoritz@star-telegram.com
AUSTIN — The presence of just a single state trooper posted at the Governor’s Mansion when the pre-dawn arson fire gutted the historic residence this month is symptomatic of a larger problem for the state’s elite law enforcement agency, the Texas Department of Public Safety and a police advocacy group say.
"They’re just stretched too darn thin. It’s as simple as that," said Don Dickson, an Austin lawyer who represents the Texas State Troopers Association. "We don’t have enough people to do the job."
Dickson’s comments applied not only to the skeletal detail at the Governor’s Mansion since the building was vacated for a renovation in October but to the entire cadre of DPS officers from Amarillo to Edinburg.
The department is short about 250 troopers from its authorized strength of 3,458, according to a legislative panel’s intensive review made public two weeks before the June 9 fire at the mansion.
And that shortage is expected to get worse. More than 100 troopers have put in for retirement Aug. 31, and the department could be down as many as 600 over the coming three years, a spokeswoman said.
"We are expecting a great many retirements as the baby boom generation begins to age out," said Tela Mange, DPS director of communications. "Plus that, we’re seeing a lot of competition from federal and local law enforcement agencies, private security companies and the military. There’s still a very deep talent pool, but there’s a lot of competition out there.”
Recruiting 24/7
The report by the Texas Sunset Commission, an arm of the Legislature that periodically evaluates the performance and usefulness of state agencies, said the DPS has consistently failed to meet its recruitment goals in recent years. It also said the agency harms its own retention efforts by limiting the options of troopers seeking promotions or to choose their own duty stations.
"From numerous conversations with DPS staff, this policy appears to deprive the agency of personnel who could perform well in the positions but choose to not move their families across the state, and can have an impact on morale," the report said.
In its preliminary fire report, DPS acknowledged that too few officers were assigned to guard the residence, even though Gov. Rick Perry’s family had moved to temporary housing during the repairs. The department also acknowledged lapses in training for the troopers on that detail.
Mange said the department recruits "24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year." But the agency does not compromise its standards, she said. Applicants must have at least 90 college semester hours, or the equivalent in law enforcement experience, and must complete a 27-week training program that is considered as rigorous as Marine Corps boot camp, she said.
Other findings in the report included faulting the department’s ability to respond to a terrorist attack and recommending that it rely less on uniformed officers to perform duties more suited for civilians.
Further straining the DPS is Perry’s push to post more troopers in South Texas to crack down on immigrant smuggling and crime related to warring Mexican drug cartels that is spilling across the Rio Grande.
DPS officials would not say how many troopers have been shifted to the border region in response to the governor’s initiative.
Intense competition
Dickson said DPS is at a competitive disadvantage with many local police forces. The base pay for a recruit entering the DPS academy is just under $35,000 a year, and it is bumped to $38,200 upon graduation. The trooper’s pay advances to about $45,100 after a year of service. By comparison, a Fort Worth police recruit makes $36,300 and then gets a raise of nearly $10,000 once he or she hits the street.
"It’s not only the pay, it’s the conditions," Dickson said. "Take a police officer in Plano or Fort Worth or some other good-sized town. He can start out making more money and serve out his entire career without ever having to transfer his kids out of the local school or uproot his wife from her job so she can follow him to whatever duty station DPS wants to send him."
Mange said the ability for troopers to secure the duty station of their choice is not quite as limited as the commission’s report suggests. Troopers can request one station or another, and if they are sent somewhere else, they can renew their request after a year, she said.
The Legislature sets the troopers’ salary scale.
In its response, DPS has acknowledged some of the shortcomings identified in the report, and top DPS officials are scheduled to appear before the panel next week when the report will be discussed publicly for the first time.
Online: www.sunset.state.tx.us, www.txdps.state.tx.us
By the numbers
3,458: DPS trooper positions authorized by the Legislature.
248: The number of vacancies as of May.
100: The approximate number of retirements expected in August.
108: The number of recruits expected to graduate in September.
$34,965: Starting salary for a DPS recruit.
$45,099: Trooper salary after one year.
Sources: DPS, Texas Sunset Commission
It’s not only the pay, it’s the conditions.
Don Dickson,
an Austin lawyer who represents the Texas State Troopers Association
John Moritz reports from the Star-Telegram’s Austin bureau. 512-476-4294.
Related Content
By the numbers 3,458: DPS trooper positions authorized by the Legislature. 248: The number of vacancies as of May. 100: The approximate number of retirements expected in August. 108: The number of recruits expected to graduate in September. $34,965: Starting salary for a DPS recruit. $45,099: Trooper salary after one year. Sources: DPS, Texas Sunset Commission
By the numbers 3,458: DPS trooper positions authorized by the Legislature. 248: The number of vacancies as of May. 100: The approximate number of retirements expected in August. 108: The number of recruits expected to graduate in September. $34,965: Starting salary for a DPS recruit. $45,099: Trooper salary after one year. Sources: DPS, Texas Sunset Commission
By the numbers 3,458: DPS trooper positions authorized by the Legislature. 248: The number of vacancies as of May. 100: The approximate number of retirements expected in August. 108: The number of recruits expected to graduate in September. $34,965: Starting salary for a DPS recruit. $45,099: Trooper salary after one year. Sources: DPS, Texas Sunset Commission
Texas Department of Public Safety facing shortage of troopers
By JOHN MORITZjmoritz@star-telegram.com
AUSTIN — The presence of just a single state trooper posted at the Governor’s Mansion when the pre-dawn arson fire gutted the historic residence this month is symptomatic of a larger problem for the state’s elite law enforcement agency, the Texas Department of Public Safety and a police advocacy group say.
"They’re just stretched too darn thin. It’s as simple as that," said Don Dickson, an Austin lawyer who represents the Texas State Troopers Association. "We don’t have enough people to do the job."
Dickson’s comments applied not only to the skeletal detail at the Governor’s Mansion since the building was vacated for a renovation in October but to the entire cadre of DPS officers from Amarillo to Edinburg.
The department is short about 250 troopers from its authorized strength of 3,458, according to a legislative panel’s intensive review made public two weeks before the June 9 fire at the mansion.
And that shortage is expected to get worse. More than 100 troopers have put in for retirement Aug. 31, and the department could be down as many as 600 over the coming three years, a spokeswoman said.
"We are expecting a great many retirements as the baby boom generation begins to age out," said Tela Mange, DPS director of communications. "Plus that, we’re seeing a lot of competition from federal and local law enforcement agencies, private security companies and the military. There’s still a very deep talent pool, but there’s a lot of competition out there.”
Recruiting 24/7
The report by the Texas Sunset Commission, an arm of the Legislature that periodically evaluates the performance and usefulness of state agencies, said the DPS has consistently failed to meet its recruitment goals in recent years. It also said the agency harms its own retention efforts by limiting the options of troopers seeking promotions or to choose their own duty stations.
"From numerous conversations with DPS staff, this policy appears to deprive the agency of personnel who could perform well in the positions but choose to not move their families across the state, and can have an impact on morale," the report said.
In its preliminary fire report, DPS acknowledged that too few officers were assigned to guard the residence, even though Gov. Rick Perry’s family had moved to temporary housing during the repairs. The department also acknowledged lapses in training for the troopers on that detail.
Mange said the department recruits "24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year." But the agency does not compromise its standards, she said. Applicants must have at least 90 college semester hours, or the equivalent in law enforcement experience, and must complete a 27-week training program that is considered as rigorous as Marine Corps boot camp, she said.
Other findings in the report included faulting the department’s ability to respond to a terrorist attack and recommending that it rely less on uniformed officers to perform duties more suited for civilians.
Further straining the DPS is Perry’s push to post more troopers in South Texas to crack down on immigrant smuggling and crime related to warring Mexican drug cartels that is spilling across the Rio Grande.
DPS officials would not say how many troopers have been shifted to the border region in response to the governor’s initiative.
Intense competition
Dickson said DPS is at a competitive disadvantage with many local police forces. The base pay for a recruit entering the DPS academy is just under $35,000 a year, and it is bumped to $38,200 upon graduation. The trooper’s pay advances to about $45,100 after a year of service. By comparison, a Fort Worth police recruit makes $36,300 and then gets a raise of nearly $10,000 once he or she hits the street.
"It’s not only the pay, it’s the conditions," Dickson said. "Take a police officer in Plano or Fort Worth or some other good-sized town. He can start out making more money and serve out his entire career without ever having to transfer his kids out of the local school or uproot his wife from her job so she can follow him to whatever duty station DPS wants to send him."
Mange said the ability for troopers to secure the duty station of their choice is not quite as limited as the commission’s report suggests. Troopers can request one station or another, and if they are sent somewhere else, they can renew their request after a year, she said.
The Legislature sets the troopers’ salary scale.
In its response, DPS has acknowledged some of the shortcomings identified in the report, and top DPS officials are scheduled to appear before the panel next week when the report will be discussed publicly for the first time.
Online: www.sunset.state.tx.us, www.txdps.state.tx.us
By the numbers
3,458: DPS trooper positions authorized by the Legislature.
248: The number of vacancies as of May.
100: The approximate number of retirements expected in August.
108: The number of recruits expected to graduate in September.
$34,965: Starting salary for a DPS recruit.
$45,099: Trooper salary after one year.
Sources: DPS, Texas Sunset Commission
It’s not only the pay, it’s the conditions.
Don Dickson,
an Austin lawyer who represents the Texas State Troopers Association
John Moritz reports from the Star-Telegram’s Austin bureau. 512-476-4294.
Related Content
By the numbers 3,458: DPS trooper positions authorized by the Legislature. 248: The number of vacancies as of May. 100: The approximate number of retirements expected in August. 108: The number of recruits expected to graduate in September. $34,965: Starting salary for a DPS recruit. $45,099: Trooper salary after one year. Sources: DPS, Texas Sunset Commission
By the numbers 3,458: DPS trooper positions authorized by the Legislature. 248: The number of vacancies as of May. 100: The approximate number of retirements expected in August. 108: The number of recruits expected to graduate in September. $34,965: Starting salary for a DPS recruit. $45,099: Trooper salary after one year. Sources: DPS, Texas Sunset Commission
By the numbers 3,458: DPS trooper positions authorized by the Legislature. 248: The number of vacancies as of May. 100: The approximate number of retirements expected in August. 108: The number of recruits expected to graduate in September. $34,965: Starting salary for a DPS recruit. $45,099: Trooper salary after one year. Sources: DPS, Texas Sunset Commission
June 13, 2008
State Trooper Patrols Increased Around Del Rio
State Trooper Patrols Increased Around Del Rio
June 12, 2008
By Chuck Dent
Special to LIVE!
A Texas Department of Public Safety squad car on patrol (contributed photo) (click image to enlarge) If you think you have been seeing an increased number of black and white highway patrol cruisers along U.S. Highway 277 and U.S. Highway 90 over the past several months, your eyes are not deceiving you. According to Major John Madden of the Texas Department of Public Safety, they have been assigned to Operation Border Star to assist local law enforcement agencies.
Operation Border Star is described by Governor Rick Perry’s Press Office as a “unified high intensity, multi-agency effort focused on reducing crime in targeted areas along the Texas-Mexico border.” It includes numerous state agencies such as the Texas Rangers, Texas Parks and Wildlife and others. It began in September 2007 following on the heels of two other special operations dating back to 2005 and 2006.
Madden said recently Border Star extends along the border in 42 counties from El Paso to McAllen and up the Coastal Bend. He declined to say how many units are working in the Del Rio area. Their numbers fluctuate depending on where intelligence reports indicate they are needed. He said they assist not only the sheriffs departments and local police departments, but state and federal agencies such as the U.S. Border Patrol.
The DPS officers are limited in the scope of their activities. “The Texas Highway Patrol is limited to enforcing state law. We can not enforce immigration law so we are not involved in that. The intent of the operation is to insure the quality of life in the border area,” he said.
While the operation is in progress, DPS patrols are heavily enforcing U.S. Highway 277 North of Del Rio, towards Sonora. What used to be a barren drive between the border patrol checkpoint just south of the U.S. Highway 277/377 crossroads to Texas Highway 55 22 miles south of Sonora, is more frequented by patrols. U.S. Highway 90 East, towards San Antonio also has patrol efforts stepped up.
One rumor that has been floating around town has them tied to anti-terrorism operations. When asked if that is the case, he said they are just pursuing their normal activity such as stolen vehicles and narcotic traffickers, but if they came across individuals who are involved in criminal activity or terrorism they would identify them and turn the information over to the appropriate agency. He said the DPS has not come across any terrorists.
As yet none of the people arrested by the various agencies involved in Border Star are involved in terrorism according to Allison Castle of the Governors Press Office. She said 500 illegal aliens from terrorist-related countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Jordan have been arrested since Border Star and its predecessors began in 2005.
“We have seen extraordinary results – upwards of 65% reduction in all crime and a 45% reduction in illegal alien apprehension since 2005. She added, “Enforcing the international border is clearly a federal responsibility, but border states and communities suffer the consequences of a weak security. Therefore, Texas has taken decisive action to protect the border and the American homeland.”
She added Border Star began in high-threat areas and it will be expanded to continuous high-intensity surge operations along the entire Texas/Mexico border. Texas, she said, is disrupting smuggling operations, putting the cartels on notice and securing the border.
http://www.swtexaslive.com/node/7008
June 12, 2008
By Chuck Dent
Special to LIVE!
A Texas Department of Public Safety squad car on patrol (contributed photo) (click image to enlarge) If you think you have been seeing an increased number of black and white highway patrol cruisers along U.S. Highway 277 and U.S. Highway 90 over the past several months, your eyes are not deceiving you. According to Major John Madden of the Texas Department of Public Safety, they have been assigned to Operation Border Star to assist local law enforcement agencies.
Operation Border Star is described by Governor Rick Perry’s Press Office as a “unified high intensity, multi-agency effort focused on reducing crime in targeted areas along the Texas-Mexico border.” It includes numerous state agencies such as the Texas Rangers, Texas Parks and Wildlife and others. It began in September 2007 following on the heels of two other special operations dating back to 2005 and 2006.
Madden said recently Border Star extends along the border in 42 counties from El Paso to McAllen and up the Coastal Bend. He declined to say how many units are working in the Del Rio area. Their numbers fluctuate depending on where intelligence reports indicate they are needed. He said they assist not only the sheriffs departments and local police departments, but state and federal agencies such as the U.S. Border Patrol.
The DPS officers are limited in the scope of their activities. “The Texas Highway Patrol is limited to enforcing state law. We can not enforce immigration law so we are not involved in that. The intent of the operation is to insure the quality of life in the border area,” he said.
While the operation is in progress, DPS patrols are heavily enforcing U.S. Highway 277 North of Del Rio, towards Sonora. What used to be a barren drive between the border patrol checkpoint just south of the U.S. Highway 277/377 crossroads to Texas Highway 55 22 miles south of Sonora, is more frequented by patrols. U.S. Highway 90 East, towards San Antonio also has patrol efforts stepped up.
One rumor that has been floating around town has them tied to anti-terrorism operations. When asked if that is the case, he said they are just pursuing their normal activity such as stolen vehicles and narcotic traffickers, but if they came across individuals who are involved in criminal activity or terrorism they would identify them and turn the information over to the appropriate agency. He said the DPS has not come across any terrorists.
As yet none of the people arrested by the various agencies involved in Border Star are involved in terrorism according to Allison Castle of the Governors Press Office. She said 500 illegal aliens from terrorist-related countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Jordan have been arrested since Border Star and its predecessors began in 2005.
“We have seen extraordinary results – upwards of 65% reduction in all crime and a 45% reduction in illegal alien apprehension since 2005. She added, “Enforcing the international border is clearly a federal responsibility, but border states and communities suffer the consequences of a weak security. Therefore, Texas has taken decisive action to protect the border and the American homeland.”
She added Border Star began in high-threat areas and it will be expanded to continuous high-intensity surge operations along the entire Texas/Mexico border. Texas, she said, is disrupting smuggling operations, putting the cartels on notice and securing the border.
http://www.swtexaslive.com/node/7008
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