| Texas Department of Public Safety | |
| Abbreviation | TDPS |
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| Patch of the Texas Department of Public Safety. | |
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| Logo of the Texas Department of Public Safety. | |
| Motto | Courtesy, Service, Protection |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Texas, USA |
| Size | 261,797 square miles |
| Population | 23,904,380 (2007 est.)[1] |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas |
| Agency executives |
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| Child agencies |
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| Website | |
| Texas DPS website | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The DPS is responsible for statewide law enforcement and vehicle regulation. The Public Safety Commission oversees the DPS. Its five members are appointed by the Governor of Texas and confirmed by the Texas Senate, to serve without pay for staggered, six-year terms. The commission formulates plans and policies for enforcing criminal, traffic and safety laws, for preventing and detecting crime, for apprehending law violators and for educating citizens about laws and public safety. The DPS Director and Assistant Director report to the Commission. The Director's staff includes the Director, Steve McCraw, who holds the rank of Colonel, and Deputy Director Lamar Beckworth, who holds the rank of Lt. Colonel.
The agency is headquartered at 5805 North Lamar Boulevard in Austin.[2]
Contents |
Divisions
DPS has four major Divisions: Law Enforcement, Texas Rangers, Services and Emergency Management.
Law Enforcement
The Law Enforcement Division includes the Texas Highway Patrol, Intelligence and Counterterrorism and Criminal Investigations sections. The Criminal Investigations unit focuses on drug trafficking, organized crime, and motor vehicle theft.
The Texas Highway Patrol is the division most frequently seen by citizens. Uniformed Troopers of the highway patrol are responsible for enforcing traffic and criminal law, usually in unincorporated areas, and serve as the Texas state police.
Services
The Services Division includes Information Technology, Law Enforcement Support, Finance, Administration, Regulatory Licensing and Driver License.
The Administration section maintains DPS property, provides training to other divisions, and operates the Crime Records Service. The Crime Records Service maintains criminal justice information and issues concealed handgun licenses.
The division also provides crime lab services to other law enforcement agencies.
The Driver License Division is responsible for the issuing and revocation of Texas driver's licenses.
Texas Rangers
Probably the most well-known division of the DPS is the Texas Rangers. Rangers are responsible for state-level criminal investigation, among other duties.
Emergency Management Division
The Emergency Management Division is responsible for coordinating statewide emergency planning and response. Typical emergencies are weather-related (hurricanes, floods, tornadoes), but the DEM also has responsibility for containing outbreaks of infectious disease and containment of hazardous materials. The DEM is also responsible for administering Texas' AMBER Alert network.
Gallery
 Texas Department of Public Safety headquarters |
 DPS Region VII Headquarters in Downtown Austin |
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Texas
- Department of Public Safety
- Administrative License Revocation
References
- ^ "2007 Population Estimates" (xls). US Census. http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- ^ "Contact Information." Texas Department of Public Safety. Accessed October 26, 2008.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
