Texas Department of Public Safety

In March 1927, the "License and Weight Division" was formed to address the escalating problems of increased traffic, and the continual damages caused by large trucks on the narrow state roads. These new inspector positions were staffed by State Police units equipped with motorcycles, and would enforce motor vehicle laws and regulations. Concurrently, the Texas Rangers would continue to conduct the State's law enforcement investigations.

In 1931, during the Great Depression, Texas and other states created a movement that sought to "reform the administrative machinery, and to reduce the high cost of state government."[4] The Texas Legislature enrolled Griffenhagen and Associates, "specialists in public administration and finance who had worked on similar projects throughout the United States and Canada, to make a survey and act as consultants."[4] The firm concluded that Texas' exceptional geographic size caused the Rangers and the License and Weight Division to struggle in providing adequate enforcement across the entire state. The firm also noted the State Highway Patrol's inability to enforce felony charges, which burdened the Rangers with excessive enforcement responsibilities, when they were already overworked. Additionally, the firm negatively reported on the state of Texas utilizing the National Guard for law enforcement along the border. Recommendations were made to accumulate the necessary finances to create a state law enforcement agency. Four bureaus—Administration, State Police, Rangers, and Fire Prevention—were suggested to be created with the implementation of the new force.

The findings of Griffenhagen and Associates were ultimately unpopular across the state, and the Texas Senate created a committee to conduct its own survey of the State's law enforcement. As a result of the committee findings, on January 24, 1935, Senate Bill 146 was introduced. The bill created a "Department of Public Safety" that housed both the Rangers and the State Highway Patrol within one collective organization. The bill received final approval on February 18, 1935, and was sent to the House before finally reaching a joint committee for final revisions. On May 3, 1935, the final bill was voted on and passed, but without two-thirds approval.[5]

On August 10, 1935, the Texas Legislature created the Department of Public Safety, along with 103 other bills.[6] The newly formed department became the new home for the Texas Rangers, The Highway Patrol, and the crime laboratory.[7]

Although Governor James V. Allred created the DPS with the signing of Senate Bill 146, the Legislature was responsible for the selection of three civilians to serve as the "Public Safety Commission." The three selected were: George W. Cottingham, Ernest R. Goens, and Albert Sidney Johnson. Consequently, the trio appointed Captain L.G. Phares as acting director, and Homer Garrison Jr. as assistant director of the new agency. Phares was replaced by Colonel Horace H. Carmichael, who served until his death on September 24, 1938. Homer Garrison Jr. became the third director on September 27, 1938, and continued on as director for nearly 30 years, until his death on May 7, 1968. Garrison made numerous enhancements to the department during his storied career, including improvements to the training curriculum, which was recognized by J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[8]

DPS is divided into multiple divisions:

• Criminal Investigations
• Cyber Security
• Driver License
• Executive Protection Bureau
• Finance
• Texas Highway Patrol
• Information Technology
• Infrastructure Operations
• Intelligence and Counterterrorism
• Law Enforcement Support
• Regulatory Services Division
• Texas Ranger Division
• Training Operations Division

• In 2010, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Trooper Mark DeArza, 39, of Houston, and DPS clerk Lidia Gutierrez, 37, of Galena Park, Texas, were convicted of conspiring to sell Texas driver's licenses to unqualified applicants for a fee after pleading guilty to the charge before United States District Judge Gray Miller.[11] According to the FBI public record of the case, the FBI learned through a confidential source of information (CS) that the operator of a Conoco station located on Almeda-Genoa Street in Houston was allegedly selling Texas driver's licenses for a fee.[11] On two separate occasions, first on May 14, 2010, then again on July 26, the CS met with the operator of the gasoline station, and allegedly paid him $3000 for assistance in obtaining a Texas driver's license, and $3500 for assistance with obtaining a commercial driver's license for a friend.[11] In the first instance, the CS was referred to and met with DeArza at the DPS office on May 17, 2010, and with his assistance and that of Gutierrez, obtained a Texas driver's license which he was unauthorized to receive.[11] In the second instance, the CS sought a commercial driver's license for a friend. The CS allegedly paid $3500 for the arrangements to be made with DeArza and Gutierrez to obtain this driver's license as well.[11] On July 26, 2010, at the gasoline station, the CS received a temporary driver's license personally delivered by DeArza.[11] The CS later received both Texas driver's licenses by United States mail.[11] Maen Bittar, 46, of Houston, the operator of a Houston Conoco gas station, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gray Miller[12]—admitting collecting fees from individuals, such as illegal aliens,[12] in amounts of $3000 or more to arrange with DPS employees Mark DeArza, a DPS Trooper, and Lidia Gutierrez, a DPS clerk, to process applications and receive driver's licenses for these unqualified individuals.[12]
• In 2010, a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper was sentenced to four years in prison[12] for depriving multiple motorists of their civil rights, U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Thomas E. Perez announced.[13] Michael Anthony Higgins (March 3, 1967 – April 29, 2010), 42, formerly of the Corpus Christi area, was found guilty on January 13, 2010, by a jury's verdict on all four counts of the indictment of willfully stealing money from motorists he stopped on the highway while working as a trooper.[13] In addition to the four-year prison term, U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey ordered Higgins to pay $850 restitution, representing the money he took from the motorists,[13] and will serve a one-year term of supervised release following completion of his prison term. Upon motion of the government, Judge Rainey ordered Higgins, previously released on bond, to be immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.[13] Higgins was prosecuted for stopping motorists who appeared to be of Hispanic descent and stealing their money, usually in amounts of several hundred dollars.[13] As a result of the civilian complaints, DPS, in conjunction with the Texas Rangers, initiated an undercover operation to investigate Higgins. An undercover police officer posed as a civilian of Hispanic descent with limited English language ability, and was issued several pre-recorded $100 bills. While being monitored by DPS aerial surveillance,[13] the undercover officer drove past Higgins' duty area in Kleberg County, and was eventually stopped by Higgins. Upon making the traffic stop, Higgins asked the undercover officer for money in his possession, and then took the money behind the passenger side door of his police cruiser.[13] After Higgins returned bills to the officer, the officer realized that some of the money was missing. Texas Rangers and DPS officers confronted Higgins and, upon inspection of the police cruiser, found two of the pre-recorded $100 bills secreted in the passenger side door pocket,[13] which was next to the area where Higgins had gone to count the money. The case was investigated by the FBI, Texas Rangers, and Officers of the Texas DPS.[13] The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruben Perez of the U.S. Attorney Office for the Southern District of Texas, and Trial Attorney Jim Felte from the Civil Rights Division.[13] Not long after being sentenced, Higgins died on April 29, 2010, at the age of 42, while incarcerated in the Coastal Bend Detention Center in Robstown, Texas. Complaining of chest pains the night before, Higgins collapsed, and CPR was performed before he was transported by emergency medical services to Calallen Hospital, where he later died. He was pronounced dead at 7:32 a.m.[14][15]

The governing body of the Department of Public Safety is the Public Safety Commission, with all members being appointed by the Governor of Texas. The commission is responsible for appointing the director of the department. The director is assisted in managing the department by three deputy directors and multiple division chiefs. Most divisions report to the director through one of the three deputy directors.

The commission also appoints an inspector general to act as an inspector for the department, and a chief audit executive as part of the internal audit department known as the Chief Auditor's Office, who are both independent of the director. The general counsel acts as the counsel for the commission and the department.

• Public Safety Commission
  • Director
    • Deputy Director - Homeland Security Operations
      • Executive Protection Bureau
      • Government Relations & Media and Communications Division
      • Regional Director, Capitol Region
      • Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division
      • Training Operations Division
    • Deputy Director - Law Enforcement Operations
      • Criminal Investigations Division
      • Texas Highway Patrol Division
      • Texas Rangers Division
      • Aviation Operations Division
    • Deputy Director - Law Enforcement Services
      • Infrastructure Operations Division
      • Driver License Division
      • Finance Division
      • Information Technology Division
      • Law Enforcement Support Division
      • Regulatory Services Division
      • Human Resource Operations Division
      • Cyber Security Division
  • Chief Auditor's Office
  • General Counsel
  • Inspector General

• 
  Texas Department of Public Safety headquarters
• 
  DPS Region VII Headquarters in Downtown Austin

• Davis class patrol boat
• List of law enforcement agencies in Texas
• Department of Public Safety
• Administrative License Revocation

• Harnsberger, R. Scott. A Guide to Sources of Texas Criminal Justice Statistics [North Texas Crime and Criminal Justice Series, no. 6]. Denton: University of North Texas Press, 2011. ISBN 978-1574413083.

• Official website
• Texas Department of Public Safety from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Texas Penal Code
• Texas DPS on Twitter