annual report - texas department of public safety

Texas Department of Public Safety Annual Report 20001

2000

Texas Department ofPublic Safety

Texas Department of Public Safety Annual Report 2000 2

Need to contact the DPS?DPS Headquarters Main Switchboard 512-424-2000

DPS Web page http://www.txdps.state.tx.usTo report roadway emergencies or drug trafficking 800-525-5555

Driver License Customer Service 512-424-2600Media Relations 512-424-2080

Concealed Handgun Unit 800-224-5744Motorcycle Safety 800-292-5787

Missing Persons Clearinghouse 800-346-3234To report railroad crossing signal/gate malfunctions 800-772-7677

To report marijuana cultivation 800-868-6274Texas Crime Stoppers Hotline 800-252-8477

Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (TLETS) Help Desk 800-638-5387

This report was compiled by the DPS Public Information Office. Requests for additional copies may be sent to:

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICETEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

P.O. BOX 4087AUSTIN, TX 78773-0170

(512) 424-2080


Honorable Rick Perry, Governor of Texasand Members of the Texas Legislature:

We are pleased to present the Texas Department of Public Safety’s 2000 AnnualReport. Among its many activities in 2000, the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Fugi-tive Apprehension Unit arrested 1,386 parole violators. Traffic Law Enforcement troopersmade 1,785 drug interdiction cases, seizing 75,193 pounds of marijuana and 1,682 poundsof cocaine during routine traffic stops.

Fewer Texans became victims of violent crime and property crimes in 2000. Thenumber of crimes committed in the state increased 2.3 percent overall, but the crime rate--or the number of index crimes per 100,000 population--dropped 1.6 percent.

The Department lost one of its Troopers in an attack during a traffic stop in HaysCounty in August 2000.

We very much appreciate your support and interest in the DPS and we welcome yourquestions concerning our activities.

Respectfully submitted,

The Texas Public Safety Commission

By:

Thomas A. Davis Jr., Director


DPS MISSION

THE BROAD OBJECTIVE

OF THIS DEPARTMENT IS

“TO MAINTAIN PUBLIC SAFETY

IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.”THE DEPARTMENT WORKS TOWARD THIS GOAL

WITHIN EXISTING REGULATIONS

AND IN COOPERATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES

WITH MUTUAL OR RELATED RESPONSIBILITIES.THE DPS SEEKS TO PRESERVE ORDER

BY PROTECTING LIVES, RIGHTS,PROPERTY AND PRIVILEGES

OF THE RESIDENTS OF THIS STATE.THE DEPARTMENT CONTINUES TO

UPHOLD ITS MOTTO,“COURTESY, SERVICE, PROTECTION.”


2000 Legislative Appropriation$350,506,935


State law vests control of theDPS in the three-member PublicSafety Commission, which ismade up of citizens appointed bythe Governor and confirmed by theSenate. These commission mem-bers serve without pay for stag-gered, six-year terms.

Internal Audit conducts inde-pendent, objective reviews andappraisals of DPS operations andprocedures. Findings and recom-mendations from these reviewsare reported to the Public SafetyCommission, executive manage-ment and appropriate departmentmanagers.

Internal Audit evaluates theadequacy of internal controlstructures; assesses compliancewith state and federal statutes, aswell as DPS policies and proce-dures; evaluates accounting sys-tems and controls; verifies theexistence of assets and ensuresproper safeguards for their protec-tion; investigates embezzlement,theft or waste and recommendscontrols to prevent or detect suchoccurrences; and evaluates elec-tronic data processing systems andcontrols.

The office follows establishedprofessional standards and ensuresthat its auditors have appropriatetechnical proficiency and educa-tional background.

Inspection examines pro-gram activities to provide the

Office of Audit and Inspection

Public Safety Commission

Department and its supervisors athird-party, nonbiased perfor-mance appraisal, with emphasison program effectiveness, effi-ciency and economy.

InspectionIn 2000, the Inspection sec-

tion:! Coordinated completion

of the Department’s StrategicPlan for FY 2001-2005.

! Made 191 recommenda-tions for improvement concern-ing DPS policies, procedures, andmanagement practices.

Internal AuditIn 2000, Internal Audit com-

pleted 116 audits:! eight Headquarters and

field audits;! three follow-up audits of

previous Headquarters audits;! two special reports (re-

quested by management);! 20 Narcotics imprest Fund

and Seized Money audits;! 56 Driver License Office

audits;! 20 Petty Cash Fund au-

dits; and! seven Motor Vehicle In-

spection imprest fund audits.The section also made 87 rec-

ommendations to improve effi-ciency, effectiveness, and account-ability of management and toimprove the safeguarding of assetsand information.

As required by law, the com-mission formulates plans and poli-cies for enforcing criminal, trafficand safety laws, for preventing anddetecting crime, for apprehendinglaw violators and for educatingcitizens about state laws and pub-lic safety.

Members of the Public SafetyCommission in 2000 were Chair-man James B. Francis Jr. of Dal-las, Robert B. Holt of Midland andM. Colleen McHugh of CorpusChristi.


The Traffic Law EnforcementDivision (TLE) was establishedwithin the Department in 1968in an effort to streamline the com-mand structure of those units andservices whose primary responsi-bility related to enforcing the traf-fic laws of the State. The TLEDivision is divided into six re-gional commands that compriseits field operations. RegionalHeadquarters are located in Gar-land, Houston, Corpus Christi,Midland, Lubbock and Waco.The division also provides protec-tion and security for the Governorand has responsibility for all policeservices within the Capitol Com-plex.

The Chief of TLE is immedi-ately responsible to the Directorfor the direction and coordinationof all field traffic law enforcementactivities. The Assistant Chiefprovides assistance to the DivisionChief in the administration of di-vision functions and responsibili-ties, and assumes command of thedivision in the Chief ’s absence.

The TLE Division, the larg-est in DPS, currently consists of3,337 members, including 2,306commissioned officers and 1,031civilian support personnel. TheDivision is uniquely responsiblefor a variety of enforcement ac-tivities and regulatory functions.These responsibilities involve traf-fic, vehicles, and drivers and otherindividuals.

The enforcement, regulatory,staff and support services of thedivision are separate units with

programs and objectives that aredesigned to complement one an-other in order to accomplish theoverall objective of the Depart-ment. The men and women of theTraffic Law Enforcement Divi-sion carry out the activities of thedivision through six field services,which are specialized by function.

Two staff support units/bu-reaus carry out support functionsfor all TLE Services. The Auto-mated Information Services Unitmanages and coordinates informa-tion resources within the Divi-sion. This unit is also chargedwith coordinating the purchase ofinformation resource equipmentand for conducting liaison withthe Department InformationManagement Services Division.

The Breath Alcohol TestingBureau administers and regulatesthe state-wide breath alcohol test-ing program in compliance withthe Texas Breath Alcohol Testingregulations through technical su-pervisors stationed in key loca-tions throughout the TLE Re-gional Commands. The Bureauis also responsible for certifyingbreath alcohol ignition interlockdevices used by all jurisdictionsin certain DWI cases.

Highway Patrol ServiceOn August 10, 1935, the Texas

Legislature provided for the trans-fer of the Highway Motor Patrolfrom the State Highway Depart-ment, along with the Texas Rang-ers from the Adjutant General’sDepartment, to the newly created

Department of Public Safety. TheState Highway Motor Patrol wasrenamed the Texas Highway Patroland its officers were given full lawenforcement powers.

Through reorganizations in1957 and 1968, the Texas HighwayPatrol has evolved into the largestservice of the Traffic Law Enforce-ment Division. The six TLE re-gions are divided into 14 HighwayPatrol districts statewide. With214,315 miles of rural highwaysto patrol and a current authorizedstrength of 1,703 officers, includ-ing supervisors, the Highway Pa-trol strives to deter potential vio-lators of the traffic laws. Ruralhighway enforcement responsibil-ity currently averages one trooperper 125 miles of roadway, includ-ing supervisors. This average,however, is limited to only an 8hour per day basis.

The Highway Patrol Servicestrives to secure and maintain or-der in traffic on highways of as-signed responsibility within exist-ing regulations to make the use ofthose highways safe and expedi-tious to the motoring public. TheHighway Patrol Service carriesout its duties through two sepa-rate programs:

Traffic Law Enforcement--Police traffic supervision on high-ways of assigned responsibility,which consist of the following:

! Police traffic direction! Police traffic accident in-

vestigation! Police traffic law enforce-

ment and patrol

Traffic Law Enforcement Division


Patrol strategies are designedto prevent traffic accidents andminimize the results of those thatdo occur. Intoxicated drivers, ex-cessive speed, and seat-belt viola-tions are enforcement priorities.

Criminal Law Enforcement--Highway Patrol and other TLETroopers on routine traffic patrolconduct a general police patrol si-multaneously which consists ofthe following:

! Criminal law enforce-ment

! Emergency and disasterassistance

! Security activitiesPatrol strategies are designed

to detect and apprehend individu-als who use the highways to fur-ther criminal activities. The ar-rest of individuals who are wantedfugitives and those involved in thesale and transportation of illegaldrugs and stolen property are en-forcement priorities.

On September 17, 2000,Highway Patrol Trooper IsabelCarrasco, stopped a commercialvehicle in Parmer County for atraffic violation and discoveredand seized $2,660.649 in illegalcurrency secreted within the loadthat the vehicle was carrying.

On September 7, 2000, a bull-dozer ruptured a 10-inch propanegas line on the outskirts of Abilene,resulting in a massive explosionand fire that killed one person andinjured two others. Highway Pa-trol and License & Weight Troop-ers responded to evacuate the im-mediate area, protect the scene,and to close Highway 36 to traffic.

License and Weight ServiceDue to the increased use of

commercial trucks and the sub-

sequent rapid deterioration of thehighways and bridges, the TexasLegislature, in 1927, authorizedthe creation of the position of Li-cense and Weight Inspector underthe direction of the Texas High-way Department.

In 1935, these inspectors weretransferred to the newly createdDepartment of Public Safety. TheLicense and Weight Service hasgrown substantially in size fromthe 18 original Highway Depart-ment inspectors to its presentstrength of 371 troopers and su-pervisors and 25 civilian inspec-tors.

The License and Weight Ser-vice strives to protect the high-ways from unnecessary damage,enforces registration laws and pro-tects the rights, privileges, andsafety of the general public usingthe highway system. These offic-ers carry out their duties throughthe implementation of eight differ-ent programs:

! Enforce size and weightstatutes.

! Enforce registration stat-

utes applicable to commercial ve-hicles.

! Enforce hazardous mate-rial regulations.

! Enforce the Motor Car-rier Safety Regulations.

! Enforce all traffic laws.! Enforce the criminal stat-

utes.! Provide information to

the general public relating to stat-utes enforced by the L&W Service.

! Seek voluntary compli-ance by carriers and drivers bymaintaining liaison with thetransportation industry.

The Motor Carrier Bureauprovides staff support for the Li-cense & Weight Service throughthree primary functions:

! Repository for all L & Wdocuments relating to commercialmotor vehicle operations.

! The Motor Carrier SafetySection.

! The Motor Carrier Com-pliance Audit Section.

In 2000, 25 civilian License &Weight Inspectors and investiga-

This 15-passenger van was involved in a crash that killed several members of the Prairie ViewA&M University track team. The driver is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel.


tors were trained and certified.The inspectors were certified inroadside inspections, hazardousmaterials, and cargo tank inspec-tions. The investigators were cer-tified as compliance review inves-tigators.

License & Weight TrooperKevin Edwards of Snyder wonthe State Inspector Challenge2000 and will compete againstother state champions in a Na-tional competition. This compe-tition tests the participants’knowledge of commercial vehicleinspection, harardous materialsinspection, motor coach inspectionand general knowledge.

Vehicle Inspection ServiceIn 1951, the Texas Legislature

adopted the state’s first compul-sory vehicle inspection program.This initial motor vehicle inspec-tion law was amended during thenext legislative session and severaltimes thereafter. Currently, Ve-hicle Inspection personnel super-vise inspection stations through-out Texas.

The inspection programhelps to keep Texas roadways safeby requiring vehicles to be in-spected annually for conditions ordefects that might cause trafficcollisions.

Vehicle Inspection Servicepersonnel supervise all official ve-hicle inspection stations in orderto obtain the best inspection pos-sible under existing law. They areauthorized to detect and take ap-propriate enforcement actionagainst anyone in violation of thelaws of the State of Texas. The20 Troopers and 222 civilians as-signed to the VI Service carry outtheir duties through three pro-

grams:! Vehicle inspection station

qualification.! Vehicle inspection station

supervision.! Vehicle inspection station

enforcement.There are two staff bureaus

that directly support the VehicleInspection Service.

The Vehicle InspectionRecords Bureau supports the ve-hicle inspection program by req-uisitioning, distributing, monitor-ing and tracking inspection certifi-cates. The service maintains offi-cial records pertaining to vehicleinspectors and station certificationand de-certification. The bureaucollects data, generates reports andprovides statistical information.All members of this bureau are lo-cated in Austin.

The Vehicle Inspection Emis-sions Bureau carries out supportfunctions related to vehicle emis-sions inspection. Currently, thereare four counties in Texas (Dallas,

Tarrant, Harris and El Paso) thatare designated as non-attainmentcounties for clean air. These fourcounties have vehicle emissionsexhaust testing done in conjunctionwith the vehicle’s annual state in-spection. This bureau oversees theimplementation and operation ofthe Vehicle Emission Program withten civilian personnel located atheadquarters in Austin.

Safety Education ServiceThe Texas Legislature created

the Safety Education Service(SES) in 1957. The Safety Educa-tion Service is charged with theduties of helping educate the pub-lic concerning the State’s trafficlaws, thereby stimulating voluntarycompliance.

Information is provided to thepublic on various topics includ-ing child safety seat use, occupantprotection, bicycle/pedestriansafety, DWI/drug awareness,crime prevention and overall traf-fic safety. This information is dis-

A bulldozer ruptured a 10-inch propane gas line on the outskirts of Abilene, causing a massiveexplosion and fire that killed one person and injured two others. Highway Patrol and License &Weight Troopers responded to the scene.


seminated to the general publicthrough the news media, schools,civic clubs, various other con-cerned citizen groups and other lawenforcement agencies. SES troop-ers also handle public informationactivities and coordinate regionalrecruiting efforts.

The 37 officers of the SafetyEducation Service discharge theirresponsibilities through the fol-lowing programs:

! Public traffic safety educa-tion.

! Public education in crimeprevention and emergency man-agement matters.

! Providing public informa-tion.

! Cooperation with and as-sistance to other agencies.

! Providing intra-depart-mental staff assistance.

! General and traffic law en-forcement.

Capitol ServiceThe Capitol Service is com-

prised of 132 commissioned offic-ers and 125 civilian personnel. Ithandles police functions, securityand parking administration in theCapitol Complex and at otherstate office buildings in Austin.

The Capitol Complex is an areain the City of Austin, encompass-ing a 46 square block area, and in-cludes the State Capitol Building,29 state office buildings and 13private office buildings. It has ap-proximately a 40,000 daytimepopulation and 14,000 state em-ployees work within the CapitolComplex.

The Capitol Service strives tomaintain public safety and secu-rity within the Capitol Complexand carries out its duties through

three programs:! Area police/security man-

agement.! Crime suppression and

control.! Parking management.In addition, a detail com-

prised of 11 officers, one lieuten-ant and 23 civilian personnel aredetached to form the DPS Head-quarters Security Detail.

Governor Bush’s national cam-paign for the Presidency of theUnited States brought unprec-edented responsibilities to theTroopers and staff of the CapitalService. Aid to the Governor Pro-tective Detail in providing neededincreased security to theGovernor’s residence and Capitaloffice, as well as the onslaught ofnational and international leaders,dignitaries and press, added signifi-cantly to the work load responsi-bilities of the entire operation.

Communications ServiceThe Communications Service

operates a statewide network de-signed to serve the communica-tions requirements of all criminaljustice agencies. The system uti-lizes radio, telephone and landlinetelecommunication systems. The

Department operates a total ofthirty-five 24-hour communica-tions facilities.

The Communications Serviceis comprised of 244 civilian per-sonnel and carries out its dutiesthrough four different programs:

! Communications be-tween department units.

! Communications be-tween the Department and otherlaw enforcement agencies.

! Information and assis-tance to the public in emergencyand other department related mat-ters.

! Warnings and communi-cations necessary for the protec-tion of lives and property of thepublic.

Specialized UnitsSeveral units and teams in the

TLE Division are charged withhandling a variety of specializedfunctions:

The Governor’s ProtectiveDetail provides protective and se-curity service to the Governorand First Family. They also pro-vide those services to visiting Gov-ernors from other states and tomembers of the state legislativeand judicial branches when as-

The Drug Detector Canine Program began in 1993 to assist officers in interdictingillegal drugs moved through the state highway system.


signed.The Dive Recovery Team

was activated in 1995. It isequipped with state-of-the-artequipment that includes under-water sonar, metal detectors, glo-bal positioning systems, environ-mental suits that facilitate divingin contaminated water, surfacesupplied air facilities and hard-wired communications systems.Members are trained and equippedto dive in zero visibility conditionsand are cross trained in water res-cue.

In 2000, the DRT was taskedwith 19 evidentiary search opera-tions, 5 body search operations and4 other search operations. Themost notable operation was to as-sist Austin Police Department insearching for a murder weaponused in the 1991 murder of fouryoung women.

The dive-search site was on

either side of the Loop 360 bridgewhere it crosses Lake Austin. Thearea searched covered approxi-mately 19,600 square yards of sur-face area. The operation beganApril 26 and concluded May 17.Fifteen weapons, two safes, twomotorcycles, three bicycles and avariety of other items were recov-ered.

The State Accident Recon-struction Team, activated in1991, conducts traffic accident re-construction investigations onhigh-profile accidents around thestate. It is equipped with the lat-est technology in computerized fo-rensic mapping and animated simu-lation equipment. In addition tothe state team, each region has ateam similarly equipped andtrained.

A major accident that resultedin the deaths of four athletes fromPrairie View A&M University and

injury to several others,was reconstructed in theTyler District. Forensicmapping was used exten-sively in the reconstructionprocess.The Lubbock Team con-

ducted an extensive reconstructionof a major accident in which fourpeople were killed by an intoxi-cated driver. Their efforts led tothe driver being charges with fourcounts of Intoxicated Manslaugh-ter.

The Drug Detector CanineProgram began in 1993 to assistofficers in interdicting illegaldrugs moved through the statehighway system. With the gradu-ation of Canine Class 1000-4 onDec. 22, 2000, four new teamswere deployed, bringing the totalto 24 teams (dog and handler) thatare trained, certified and stationedin key locations throughout theState.

Two Civil Disturbance Man-agement Teams are established,equipped and maintained in eachHighway Patrol Service District.They are tasked with handling avariety of riot and other civil dis-turbance duties when called uponby local authorities for assistance.

On June 22, 2000, severalCDM Teams from around the statewere called to assist the Texas De-partment of Corrections at Hunts-ville with anti- and pro-capitol pun-

The Dive Recovery Team was activated in 1995.The team is equipped with state-of-the-art equip-ment including underwater sonar, metal detectors,global positioning systems, special dive suits,surface supplied air and hard-wired communica-tions systems.


ishment demonstrations planned inconjunction with the execution ofconvicted murderer Gary Graham.The execution was carried out andorder was maintained.

AccomplishmentsThe objective of the Traffic

Law Enforcement Division is toreduce death, injury and economicloss by working to reduce the ruraltraffic death rate and criminal actsin Texas. This objective is pursuedthrough the programs and strate-gies of the various law enforce-ment services and support unitsthat comprise the Division.

Although final numbers for2000 are not available, during1999, the number of people killedin rural fatal accidents rose from2,069 in 1998 to 2,079. Even withthis increase in the number, therural accident death rate (trafficdeaths per hundred million milesdriven) for the same period de-creased from 3.1 in 1998 to 3.0 in1999. These statistics have beenachieved even though total popu-lation, licensed drivers and vehiclemiles driven continue to increase.

Criminal law enforcement vio-lations detected as the result of rou-tine traffic stops during the sameperiod totaled 6,564 felony and19,978 misdemeanor arrests for avariety of criminal violations.TLE Troopers continue to lead thenation in the seizure of severaltypes of controlled substances.During 2000 they made 1,129 druginterdiction cases in which 75,193pounds of marijuana, 1,682pounds of cocaine, 100 pounds ofmethamphetamine and smalleramounts of other narcotics wereseized. In addition, more than $9.5million in currency was seized.

In performing their duties,Safety Education Troopers con-ducted 23,167 safety presentationsto the public--332 classes specifi-cally for police officers.

Troopers of the Vehicle In-spection Service recovered 2,943counterfeit documents during2000, making 132 related crimi-nal cases. Civilian Vehicle Inspec-tion Technicians conducted77,948 Inspection Station compli-ance audits during the year.

In addition to providing sitesecurity, patrol, and parking en-forcement in and around the com-plex, Capitol Police Officers filed3,527 charges of all kinds, includ-ing traffic offenses, during 2000.They also investigated 430 crimi-nal offenses and 122 traffic acci-dents.

Enforcement and other publicservice activity accomplished pri-marily by Highway Patrol Troop-ers in 2000 totaled:Traffic arrests:

1,143,460Warnings:

1,525,709DWI arrests:

29,884Speeding arrests:

527,414Occupant restraint arrests:

154,941Stolen vehicles recovered:

1,007Motorist assists:

57,500


Driver License DivisionThe Driver License Division's

mission is to provide customerswith an exceptional positive ex-perience, promote public safetyand enhance safe driving on allTexas roadways by:

! issuing quality driver li-censes and identification cards;

! collecting, maintainingand providing reliable, accuraterecords; and

! enforcing and administer-ing laws in a way that upholds theDepartment's reputation for in-tegrity and fairness.

The Driver License Divisionconsists of three major services:the Headquarters Service, theField Service and the Administra-tive License Revocation program.

Multiple initiatives in 2000illustrate the Driver LicenseDivision’s determination to fulfillits mission statement as adoptedin 1999.

Programs or projects empha-sized this year included: RenewalProcessing; Driver LicenseKnowledge Testing; In-Person Cus-tomer Processing; Customer Rela-tions; and Span of Control. Withinthese areas, multiple strategieswere completed, but only after theDivision ensured each wouldcomplement the mission state-ment.

Renewal ProgramMail Renewals

The driver license mail re-newal program had been in placesince January 1984 and waslargely unchanged until this year.The following summarizes related

strategic milestones completed in2000. Each is geared towards re-ducing wait-times in Driver Li-cense Field Offices by increasingparticipation in the renewal pro-gram.

In February, the Divisioncarefully modified the criteria--which determines who receives adriver license mail renewal invita-tion--to reduce the lines in DriverLicense Offices across the state.During the same month, the Divi-sion began inserting promotionalfliers in the renew-by-mail invita-tions to increase program partici-pation. With the same goal inmind, postage-paid envelopes havebeen included with the program’sinvitations since April.

In May, the Division began--for the first time in the program’shistory--mailing renewal invita-tions to Identification Card hold-

ers. As a result, over the year, a13.38 percent increase/decreasewas detected in mail and DL Of-fice renewals, respectively.

Alternate Means RenewalsThe Division responded ac-

tively in 2000 to the authoritygranted by the 76th Session of theTexas Legislature to develop alter-nate means to renew driver li-censes. Related activities spannedthe entire year and centered oncareful program design and devel-opment using emerging technolo-gies such as the Internet and In-teractive Voice Recognition (tele-phones).

The survey--conducted in No-vember 2000 regarding mail re-newal participation--also assistedthe Division in gauging potentialuse of these developing systems.Sixty-one percent of the respon-

Customers wait their turn in the Houston “Super DL” office. Customers can waitwhile comfortably seated, instead of standing in line.


dents indicated their general inter-est to utilize emerging technologiesto renew in the future.

Knowledge TestingDriver license applicants are

tested on their knowledge of Texastraffic laws to ensure that onlyqualified individuals operate mo-tor vehicles on our roadways.These knowledge tests have his-torically been administered on pa-per or electronically (in some of-fices) via the Automated DriverLicense Testing System. TheADLTS is critical to the efficientoperation of high-volume offices.

In October, the Division beganinstalling a new ADLTS in key lo-cations. As this testing is routinelyperformed, the system replacementis expected to dramatically im-prove this process for DL person-nel and customers alike. Custom-ers in particular should appreciateits emphasis on user-friendly fea-tures and the overall potential fora reduction in the time they spend

in an office.

In-Person Customer ProcessingIn both field DL offices and the

Headquarters main lobby, key re-sponsibilities include the properrouting of customers throughmulti-step processes. Concur-rently, office staff must managecustomer expectations by deliver-ing quality information and service.

The Division expanded a 1999pilot program this year to eight ad-ditional offices in the Dallas andAustin areas and to the Headquar-ters Main Lobby (driver recordsales and license reinstatements).The expansion consisted of the in-stallation of automated applicantqueuing systems in these offices.

Via these systems, applicantsreceive a processing number withan estimated waiting time. Theythen proceed to the office lobbyarea until speakers notify them toproceed to the counter for process-ing.

Management benefits includethe collection of wait-times and in-dividual employee processing sta-tistics for various transactions. This

system hasproven help-ful in staffassignments,so that noone transac-tion type hasa dispropor-tionate wait-time.

C u s t o m e rR e l a t i o n sTraining

In 1999,the Divisioninvested in a

customer relations training programas an acknowledgment that servicedelivery is key to all componentsof the Division’s mission.

By the end of 2000, more than1,350 Division employees had at-tended the training. Citizen ap-preciation letters received since thisprogram began demonstrate thevalue of the program and indicatethat Division employees are apply-ing the skills in their public inter-actions.

SurveysPursuant to legislation en-

acted in 1999, the Division steeredthe Department’s efforts to de-velop an agency Compact withTexans. The Compact is postedon the agency’s web site and in-cludes an online customer servicesurvey, program descriptions andagency contacts.

After surveying DL Officecustomers for a second year in se-lect high-volume locations andcapturing related wait-times, theDivision was able to proudly sub-mit a report to the Legislative Bud-get Board. The report reflected aneleven minute reduction in waittimes between 1999 and 2000.Overall customer service ratingsremained high between the twoyears.

After- Hours ServicesHistorically, services provided

at the DLD Headquarters MainLobby were available to the publiconly during the hours of 8 a.m. to5 p.m. In March, the Division in-stalled a “lock-box” system to ac-cept after- hours driver license re-instatements and requests fordriver records. Over the remain-der of the year, 170 items were

This computerized system indicates how long customers havebeen waiting to be served by DL technicians.


processed via this new service.

Span of ControlThe Driver License Division,

like its agency counterparts, hasalways been challenged to provide

acceptable service levels given thestate’s geography and population.In June, the Division divided Re-gions I (Dallas area) and II (Hous-ton area). Each region now has twoseparate districts to level the su-

Administrative License Revocation Service

1999 2000 Variance (%)ALR Cases Resolved 15,277 16,337 7 %

Affirmative 10,345 10,894 5 %

Default 1,703 1,862 9 %Negative 2,058 1,795 - 13 %

Dismissed 1,171 1,786 53 %Continuances 8,562 8,545 0 %

Field ServiceDriver Licenses and Identification Cards Issued 5,615,066 6,094,148 9%Knowledge Tests 2,249,447 2,322,156 3%Driving Skills Tests 971,605 1,060,215 9%Vision Tests 3,663,426 3,740,868 2%Vehicle Inspections 493,324 509,276 3%Driver Improvement Actions 146,513 136,768 -7%Medical Limitations Screenings 105,711 103,765 -2%Traffic Warrants Served 6,359 18,223 187%Felony and Misdemeanor Warrant Apprehensions 5,935 6,619 12%Criminal Investigations 5,576 5,156 -8%Monies Collected from Traffic Warrants $ 831,467 $ 2,725,648 228%

pervisor to employee ratio. Thisredistricting equated to the addi-tion of two captains, two lieuten-ants, and three sergeants to ensuresuccess in the regional divisions.

1999 2000 change


Over the course of the year, the following DL Office moves or renovations occurred:11 Renovations to DPS-Owned Facilities*

1 Move to Existing DPS-Owned Facility6 Moves to New DPS-Owned Facilities1 Move from City/County Provided Facility to Same

* Count includes renovation of 1 leased facility.

Headquarters Service

Servicing Bureau/Activity

License IssuanceEmail Responses 13,865

Driver RecordsSale of Records ($) $45,406,950

Driver Records Prepared 9,241,792Customer Service

DPS Switchboard Calls 314,944DLD Automatic Call Distribution System 695,131

Safety ResponsibilityLobby Contacts (excludes MVI Sticker Sales) 163,659

Reinstatements (Compliance) Processed 553,343Correspondence Documents Generated 305,833

2000

2000

Texas Department of Public Safety A

nnual Report 200017

Driver Improvement

Driving While Intoxicated 69,447 Administrative Hearing ActionsAdult Convictions 25,989 Scheduled

Under 21 Convictions 4,363 Suspension/Revocation/Disqualfications

Alcohol Education Program Required 39,095 Probation Orders Granted

Drug Offenses 14,814 Enforcement ActionsAdult Convictions 9,219 Medical Advisory Board(MAB)

Juvenile (Under 21) Convictions 5,595 MAB Not Approved/Test Required

Problem Driver CancellationsZero Tolerance Offenses 19,275 Nonresident Violators CompactCMV Disqualifications 610 Minor Unpaid Violations (FTA/FIP)

Juvenile Suspension ActionsAdministrative License

Cases Analyzed 116,872Admin. Suspensions 81,837

2000


Criminal Law EnforcementThe Criminal Law Enforce-

ment Division consists of theCrime Laboratory Service, Nar-cotics Service, Motor VehicleTheft Service and Special CrimesService. The division and its ser-vices provide specialized assis-tance to local law enforcementagencies and cooperates with fed-eral agencies engaged in criminallaw enforcement activities.

Crime LaboratoryThe DPS Crime Laboratory

Service had many accomplish-ments in the year 2000. With astaff of 79 employees in the Head-quarters Crime Laboratory and99 employees in the twelve FieldCrime Laboratories, evidence wasexamined in a total of 50,368criminal cases.

Some of the notable accom-plishments of the year include thefollowing:

The eight laboratories thatperform DNA analysis of biologi-cal evidence samples, primarilyon sexual assault and murdercases, completed DNA work ona record 1,414 cases. This was anincrease of 31% from 1999, anddouble the work output in 1998.In addition, five new DNA ana-lysts received training during theyear, and they will become valu-able members of the total staff of32 DNA analysts that we havestatewide.

Still on the subject of DNA,the CODIS Laboratory in Austinsaw the beginning of constructionon an 8,000 square foot expansion

of their facility, to be completedduring 2001.

Also, a $1.7 million grant wasobtained from the National Insti-tute of Justice for the outsourcingof DNA analysis on some 58,000convicted offender blood samples.A private contracting laboratoryin Salt Lake City by year end wascompleting these DNA analysesand sending DNA profiles on aregular basis for uploading intothe database.

The CODIS program is work-ing as it was intended to do. As ofDecember 2000, some 20 “hits”have occurred in Texas, wherebyeither a convicted offender’s DNAwas matched to the DNA evidencein an unsolved criminal case, or theDNA evidence in one unsolvedcase was matched to DNA evi-dence in a separate case. These“hits” are solving murder andsexual assault offenses.

The DNA laboratories workedon several “post conviction” cases

during the year, and provided DNAresults on thirteen separate cases.The outcome of this DNA workwas that some convicted inmateswere exonerated of their crimesand released from prison, whileothers were not exonerated (DNAresults supported their conviction)and their sentence was, or contin-ues to be, carried out.

Another accomplishment ofthe Crime Laboratories for year2000 was the completion of theexamination of evidence in some37,952 drug cases. This includedboth receiving the evidence intothe laboratories, and the analysisof 165,000 pounds (75,000 kilo-grams) of marihuana, 2,050 kilo-grams of cocaine, 294 kilograms ofmethamphetamine, 99 kilogramsof amphetamine and some 600 ki-lograms of a variety of other con-trolled substances. While much ofthis evidence is returned to city andcounty law enforcement agencies,the crime laboratory staff fulfilled

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its responsibility and destroyedover 100,000 pounds of mari-huana, in the ten DPS owned in-cinerators located statewide.

During 2000, work on threenew or expanded crime laboratoryfacilities was underway. The newWaco Field Crime Laboratory wascompleted in September. It hasturned out to be a very fine facilitywhich should serve the Depart-ment well in supporting crime labneeds of area law enforcement of-ficers. An expansion and remodel-ing of the Tyler Laboratory, as wellas construction of a new Region 2Headquarters building with a labo-ratory in Houston, were still inprogress at year-end.

Motor Vehicle Theft ServiceThe Motor Vehicle Theft Ser-

vice investigates commercial autotheft rings and arrests people in-volved in auto theft. The servicealso identifies and recovers stolenvehicles outside the United Statesand trains law enforcement in rec-ognizing and apprehending stolenvehicles.

MVTS publishes a monthlyreport listing makes and modelsof vehicles stolen in Texas and ve-hicle identification specialists pro-vide technical support to officersconducting vehicle theft investi-gations.

The service provides access toU.S. theft records to Mexican po-lice officers so they can determinewhether a vehicle stopped inMexico has been stolen from theUnited States.

The service also inspects re-constructed salvage vehicles thathave been declared total lossesbecause of accidents. The service,

Motor Vehicle Theftpersonnel in south andeast Texas worked onbreaking up anorganized constructionequipment theft ring. Todate, 22 units ofequipment valued at$1.2 million have beenseized.

which has 43 offices, operates 17field inspection sites to inspect sal-vage vehicles.

While working known droppoints for stolen vehicles, a Mo-tor Vehicle Theft Investigator inArlington observed three aban-doned semi-trailers near RiversideDrive in Fort Worth. The threetrailers each contained freight thathad been stolen from the shippers.In one trailer, bleach valued at$20,700 was recovered. In the sec-ond trailer, canned food valued at$13,200 was recovered. In thethird trailer, Microsoft ComputerCorp. software valued at morethan $17 million was recovered

Motor Vehicle Theft person-nel in south and east Texasworked on breaking up an orga-nized theft ring that focuses onconstruction equipment for mostthe year 2000. Backhoes are theprimary type of equipment stolen;however, a number of bulldozershave also been recovered. To date,22 units of equipment, valued at$1.2 million, have been seized.Three suspects have been arrestedfor Engaging in Organized Crimeand charged in multiple counties.

Motor Vehicle Theft personnelin the Rio Grande Valley routinelysee many vehicles enroute to Cen-tral America. Experience has


Motorcycles andequipment valued atmore than $400,000were recovered duringan investigation by theDPS Motor VehicleTheft Service, SanAntonio PD, Austin PDand the FBI.

shown that the Hidalgo area is acommon stopping point for thesevehicles going south.

While conducting surveil-lance of various motels in theHidalgo area, officers observedthree bobtail trucks awaiting ex-port. On inspection, the threetrucks were found to have alteredvehicle identification numbers.The officers were able to deter-mine the true identities of the ve-hicles, which had been stolen fromsouthern Florida. Through coop-eration with Florida authoritiesand the FBI, three suspects werearrested for Interstate Transporta-tion of Stolen Vehicles and in-dicted in the federal system.

Motor Vehicle Theft personnelin San Antonio conducted a jointinvestigation with San Antonio PD,Austin PD and the FBI into thethefts of motorcycles. Investiga-tion determined the motorcycleswere stolen from several cities

along the IH 35 corridor. As a re-sult of this investigation, 26 sto-len motorcycles were recovered,along with 30 stripped motorcycles.The value of the recovered motor-cycles was more than $416,000.One suspect was arrested andcharged with Interstate Transpor-tation of Stolen Property and statefelony theft.

Narcotics ServiceThe Narcotics Service directs

the state's enforcement effortsagainst illegal drug trafficking, su-pervises controlled substance reg-istration and oversees the issuanceof permits for, and the reportingof, precursor chemical activities.The Narcotics Service also assistsstate, federal, county and localagencies in drug law enforcementwith the ultimate goal of eliminat-ing illegal trafficking of controlledsubstances and deterring drugabuse. Investigative priorities in-

clude cross-border smuggling, airand marine smuggling, clandestinedrug laboratories, pharmaceuticaldrug diversion, domestic marijuanaeradication, financial investigationand highway interdiction.

Commissioned officers, sup-ported by the Narcotics Analyti-cal Section, use open and under-cover investigative techniques toprobe suspected drug rings.

Active investigations pending: 4,114

Investigations opened: 2,693Felony & misdemeanor charges filed: 2,527Number of arrests: 2,329Search warrants executed: 288Marijuana seized: 126,193.59 lbsMarijuana plants seized: 1,515,320Cocaine seized: 11,278,990.59Heroin seized: 6,487.03 lbsEstimated value of drugs seized:

$735,689,263.72Currency seized: $15,186,350.35


Vehicles seized: 107

Post-Seizure Analysis TeamIn addition to the team mem-

bers supplied by the DPS, thePSAT unit is comprised of 24 stateand federal investigators, analystsand support personnel from theFederal Bureau of Investigation,the Internal Revenue Service, theDrug Enforcement Administra-tion, the U.S. Customs Service andthe Texas National Guard.

The PSAT develops intelli-gence on drug trafficking organi-zations from the analysis of infor-mation supplied by local, state andfederal agencies regarding seizuresof drugs and currency. Much ofthis information results from high-way and Border Patrol checkpointinterdiction. This intelligence is dis-seminated by active meansthroughout the nation to appropri-ate law enforcement agencies forthe purpose of enhancing ongoinginvestigations, initiating new inves-tigations and aiding in the prosecu-tion of large drug trafficking orga-nizations.

The unit also responds to spe-cific requests for information ondrug and currency seizures, due tothe tremendous volume of seizuredata received from numeroussources. PSAT personnel also pub-lish officer safety alerts and intelli-gence briefs concerning smugglingtrends and suspect trucking com-panies that are disseminated to awide variety of law enforcementagencies. The unit is also involvedin coordinating the efforts of theDomestic Marijuana Eradicationprogram and the tracking of clan-destine laboratories in Texas.

Texas NarcoticsInformation System

TNIS enhances the ability oflocal, state and federal law enforce-ment agencies to identify, target andremove criminal narcotics conspira-cies and activities spanning juris-dictional boundaries.

TNIS is able to research, de-velop and corroborate intelligenceon suspected individuals and theircriminal activities. Through coop-eration, coordination and commu-nication among local, state and fed-eral law enforcement agencies, anetwork intelligence system is es-tablished for agencies to query.This system enhances lawenforcement’s ability to identify andimmobilize individuals and organi-zations involved in drug traffick-ing and other related criminal ac-tivities, reducing the impact of il-licit drugs in Texas and other areasof the country.

Narcotics Analyst SectionThe Narcotics Anaylist Section

provides ongoing case develop-ment and assistance to all inter-ested local, state and federal agen-cies to further ongoing narcotics in-vestigations. Support provided in-cludes subject profiles, telephoneanalysis, charts and graphs for casedevelopment and courtroom pros-ecution and identification of rela-tionships between people, organi-zations and events.

In 2000, the analyst sectionsupported well over 200 federal,state and local agencies nation-wide.

Analyst assists: 16,075

Suspect identifications: 31,228

Subjects entered intoreporting system: 9,555

Case support files opened: 628Pen registers supported: 191Oral intercepts supported: 32

Texas Prescription ProgramThe Texas Prescription Pro-

gram (formerly known as the Trip-licate Prescription Program) beganin 1982. The program was createdto prevent the diversion of medi-cally useful controlled substancesfrom licit to illicit channels with-out adversely affecting the supplyof medications to the legitimateuser.

Under the prescription pro-gram, practitioners are required toprescribe a special class of drugs,known as Schedule 2, using an of-ficial prescription form provided tothem at cost by the DPS. A prop-erly registered practitioner issuesthe official prescription form to apatient, who presents the prescrip-tion to a pharmacist for filling. Thepharmacist fills the prescriptionand electronically transmits the pre-scription information to DPS. Thedata can then be used as an inves-tigative tool by state licensingboards and law enforcement agen-cies.

Recent legislative changesbroadened the range of dissemina-tion of information and, as a re-sult, statistical reports, useful foreducational and other purposes,will now be available. The sectionalso registers all persons or institu-tions that lawfully manufacture,distribute, analyze or dispense con-trolled substances in Texas.

Full conversion from an exist-ing paper-based prescription systemto electronic reporting occurred in


2000. A mandated implementationdate of Sept. 1, 1999, conflictedwith Y2K remediation processesoccurring at many of the state’smajor chain pharmacies, so DPSworked diligently with those com-panies to assist them in preparingto transmit electronically and pro-vided a way for the pharmacies todelay implementation temporarily.Number of registrants: 63,321Number of new registrants:

4,321Number of registrants renewed:

59,000Fees collected: $1,347,620Number of prescriptions produced

for practitioners: 2,695,800Number of filled prescriptions re

ceived: 1,700,000Number of investigative assists:

790

Narcotics Technical UnitThe Narcotics Service Techni-

cal Unit has the primary responsi-bility of implementing the inter-ception and use of wire, oral orelectronic communications as wellas pen registers, trap and trace de-vices as allowed by state law.

Under state law, only DPS isallowed to possess, install, moni-tor and use intercept equipment--and only for certain felony viola-tions of the Health and SafetyCode. The unit assists DPS narcot-ics investigators and other law en-forcement agencies in conductingintercepts.

Countermeasures conducted: 34Pen registers: 49Wire intercepts

State: 11Federal: 7

Audio/video installs: 34General assistance: 8

Precursor Chemical/Laboratory Apparatus Section

The primary function of thePrecursor Chemical/LaboratoryApparatus Section is to deter clan-destine laboratory activity throughthe administration of state statutes.

Those goals are fulfilled by is-suing permits in a timely manner,complying with and enforcing thestatutes and regulations regardingthe program. The office furnishesupdated information concerningthe most common trends, methodsand hazards associated with clan-destine laboratory activity to labo-ratory activity to field personnel.

The section also provides in-formation for use by individualstestifying before legislative com-mittees, the DPS chain of com-mand and investigating officers inTexas and other states.

In 2000, the section issued1,359 annual permits and four one-time permits and denied two per-mits. The section received 1,849requests for assistance from busi-nesses and individuals, 133 re-quests from other law enforcementagencies and 181 requests fromDPS personnel.

Narcotics TrainingThe Narcotics Training section

provides training for all departmentinvestigators, as well as officersfrom other federal, state and localagencies. Officers receive instruc-tion in undercover operations, raidplanning and execution, prescrip-tion drug diversion, domestic mari-juana eradication, tactical opera-tions and other specialized courses.

The section also supports andassists in the training of commis-sioned personnel from the uni-

formed services within the depart-ment. To provide the most up-to-date training available, the sectionis active in the cooperative sharingof training data with other publicand private organizations, as wellas conducting extensive in-houseresearch.

The section taught 22 courses,trained 876 department personneland 312 personnel from other agen-cies.

Special Crimes ServiceThe Special Crimes Service

identifies and reduces criminal ac-tivity by conducting a wide rangeof criminal investigations; gather-ing and analyzing intelligence data;arresting fugitives; locating missingpersons; and administering pro-grams related to pari-mutuel racing,handgun range verification, sec-ondhand metal sales and sex of-fender registration compliance.

The Fugitive ApprehensionUnit works with Texas Crime Stop-pers and local law enforcementagencies to track down Texas pa-rolees convicted of violent crimesand later charged with new felonyoffenses. The unit administers theviolent offenders program and alocal participation program that re-imburses local agencies for arrest-ing parole violators. It also distrib-utes the "Texas Ten Most Wanted,"a list of violent parolees who havere-offended.

The Sex Offender ComplianceUnit (SOCU) conducts investiga-tions of the state's more than20,000 registered sex offenders andfiles felony charges against offend-ers who fail to meet registrationrequirements. The service alsotrains local criminal justice agencies


throughout Texas on state and fed-eral sex offender laws.

Special Crimes has trained andequipped a select group of its in-vestigators for the Computer Evi-dence Analysis Initiative (CEAI).These officers are stationedthroughout Texas and conductcriminal investigations in which theuse of a computer or the Internetwas a factor. Trained as forensiccomputer experts, CEAI personnelinvestigate a variety of crimes, in-cluding forgery, child pornographyand capital murder.

The Missing Persons Clearing-house, the central repository forinformation on missing personsfrom Texas, assists local law en-forcement officers and citizenswith missing persons investiga-tions. The Clearinghouse also op-erates a national toll-free telephoneline to receive calls about missingpersons, is the state liaison for theHague Convention on Interna-tional Parental Abduction andworks closely with the NationalCenter of Missing and ExploitedChildren (NCMEC).

The Clearinghouse publishes amonthly missing persons bulletinlisting missing and unidentifiedpersons from Texas and personsmissing from other states who maybe in Texas. The bulletin is distrib-uted to Texas law enforcementagencies, driver license offices, Sal-vation Army centers and non-profitorganizations.

The service’s clerical sectionassists law enforcement agencies,both in Texas and throughout thenation, by providing digital-colorand black-and-white driver licensephotographs upon request.

The Crime Analysis Sectionprovides intelligence information

and other professional assistance tolaw enforcement agencies in Texasand throughout the nation to iden-tify and locate criminal suspects,criminal organizations, missing per-sons and wanted felons; help solvemajor crimes; and identify crimepatterns that will aid state and lo-cal agencies in strategic planning.The section also maintains salesand purchasing records of second-hand metal dealers to detect theftand identify possible suspects.

Crime Analysis personnel pub-lish a bimonthly crime bulletin witharticles regarding major unsolvedcrimes, wanted fugitives, prisongang activity, sexual offender pa-rolees and other law enforcementissues. The section serves as thestate's coordinator for the FBI'sViolent Criminal ApprehensionProgram (ViCAP) system, whichtracks serial killers by providing acentral repository for informationand analysis of violent serialcrimes. The section also serves asthe lead facilitator in the recentlystate-mandated Texas ViolentGang Task Force and the stateGang Tracking System.

In addition, the Special Crimes

Service serves as the state liaisonfor the International Criminal Po-lice Organization (INTERPOL).The relationship enables foreigncountries to request assistancefrom Texas peace officers and, inturn, allows Texas officers to re-quest assistance from foreign coun-tries.

In 2000, Special Crimes inves-tigators worked closely with theFBI for more than two years con-cerning the criminal activities of aTexas Department of Housing andCommunity Affairs commissioner.The commissioner was supportingtax credits for certain low-incomehousing projects in exchange formoney, land and an interest in thecompanies involved. The subjectwas indicted and convicted forBribery, Theft, and Money Laun-dering. Two other subjects werealso convicted on related charges.

Special Crimes personnel initi-ated an investigation regarding awoman who was trying to hire a hitman to kill her husband. She wasreportedly tired of living with herhusband, a multi-millionaire suffer-ing from cerebral palsy, and knewthat she would not get enough

711

21

1,386

274

Other Racing Fugitive Sex Offender

Number of Arrests by Special Crimes Service2,392 - Total for Year 2000


94

160

13

46 51

151

Special Crimes Service

Risk Level 1 Sex Offenders Identifiedby District for Year 2000 - Total 515

District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 6 Other

money from a divorce. SpecialCrimes investigators arranged forher to meet with an undercover of-ficer from the Harris County Dis-trict Attorney's Office. Thewoman gave him $200,000 worthof jewelry to kill her husband andpromised him another $40,000when the job was done. She wasarrested for Solicitation of CapitalMurder and released after postinga $100,000 bond. Since then, herhusband has obtained a protectiveorder against her and has filed fordivorce.

The first two civil commitmentsex offenders were released at theend of 2000. They were placedunder very strict conditions andwere continually tracked with thehelp of a GPS monitoring system.One of the sex offenders had fin-ished serving a ten-year prison sen-tence for Indecency with a Childand Sexual Assault of a Child. Thesecond sex offender was releasedafter serving time for three countsof Sexual Assault of a Child. Heis being monitored in OklahomaCity by Special Crimes personnel

in Texas with the assistance ofOklahoma law enforcement.

Following a traffic stop, SpecialCrimes personnel arrested a sus-pect on two outstanding felonywarrants, Theft $20,000 to$100,000 and Possession of Mari-juana. At the time of his arrest,the subject had $3,400 in cash anda two-ounce bag of cocaine. A sub-sequent search of his BexarCounty residence revealed severalfirearms, loaded clips for an AK-47 assault rifle, two bulletproofvests and jewelry believed takenfrom homicide victims. The sus-pect is believed to be a triggermanfor a Mexican drug cartel in the SanAntonio area. He was wanted bythe state police in Mexico on twooutstanding Homicide warrantsand has been charged for his in-volvement in two other homicidesin Texas. The leader of the drugcartel was later arrested at his SanAntonio residence and indicted forPossession with Intent to Distrib-ute over 1,000 Kilograms of Mari-juana. A search of his residencealso provided evidence linking him

to money laundering operations.Special Crimes investigators antici-pate that he will be indicted forseveral homicides committed inthe furtherance of narcotics traf-ficking.

The Bandidos Outlaw Motor-cycle Gang was hit hard by SpecialCrimes and other law enforcementagencies following an 11-monthnarcotics investigation that beganwith the infiltration of two under-cover officers into the gang's worldin November 1999. During the in-vestigation, undercover officersmet many outlaw motorcycle gangmembers, making numerous pur-chases of illegal narcotics thatwere identified several times asbelonging to the Bandidos OutlawMotorcycle Gang. Investigatorsthen began to identify and targetlocal Bandidos chapters respon-sible for distributing methamphet-amine in the greater Houston area.

Seven search warrants weresubsequently served at residencesowned or occupied by Bandidosmembers, resulting in the arrest offour key members and the seizureof $250,000 in illicit narcotics and$175,000 in stolen property andassets. This investigation repre-sents an important step in prosecut-ing the Bandidos, who recentlyhave been operating uncheckedwhile law enforcement personnelfocused on juvenile street gangs.

Over time, the Bandidos havegrown into an international orga-nization, with chapters in Ger-many, Norway, Denmark and Aus-tralia. This investigation hasshown that the local chapters areinvolved in--and control a portionof--the methamphetamine narcot-ics distribution in the greater Hous-ton area, and has furthermore pro-


vided evidence for the first timethat the Bandidos have links toneo-Nazi and white supremacygroups. The investigation was con-ducted in cooperation with theHarris County Organized Crimeand Narcotics Task Force, the FBI'sJoint Drug Intelligence Group, theHouston Police Department, andthe Harris County Sheriff's Office.

The Missing Persons sectioncontinued to be heavily involvedin “Behind the Walls,” aCrimeStoppers program operatedby the Texas Department of Crimi-nal Justice. The program producesvideo reenactments of crimes andshows them to all incarcerated fel-ons--including prison institutions,state jails and contract or transferfacilities--to solicit informationfrom inmates. The program re-ceived funding in 1994 and beganshowing videos in 1996, but at thattime only unsolved homicide caseswere used. In 1999, the Clearing-house worked with TDCJ to beginfeaturing cases of missing children(stranger abductions) and missingadults where foul play is feared.

Since its implementation, “Be-hind the Walls” has paid out 17rewards, cleared 38 cases and ledto 27 arrests. In the year 2000, theClearinghouse submitted 39 casesto the program.

In one case, an inmate con-tacted the program coordinator af-ter seeing one of the videos andprovided information related to amissing adult. According to theinmate, the victim had been hit bya motor vehicle and his body bur-ied. Clearinghouse personnel thenassisted the program coordinatorby providing information on themissing person. As a result, twosuspects were identified but the

victim's body has not yet beenfound.

Total Number of Arrests: 2,392Fugitives 1,386“Top Ten” Fugitives 6Sex Offender 74

Analytical Assists Provided: 18,723Missing Persons Located: 51Stolen Property Recovered:

$1,333,083Seized Currency and Property:

$4,086,332Polygraph Exams Administered:

1,922Cases Cleared: 453Subjects Cleared: 745


Texas Ranger DivisionThe primary responsibility of

the Texas Rangers is to provide in-vestigative assistance to federal,state and local law enforcementagencies both inside and outsidethe State of Texas. Texas Rangersare highly trained, versatile offic-ers who investigate felony of-fenses, apprehend fugitives, pro-tect life and property and executeprocess in criminal cases (and incivil cases where specifically di-rected to do so by the judge of acourt of record).

The investigation of publiccorruption and involvement inmulti-agency task forces con-sumes a great deal of the division'sresources and time. The divisionalso provides security for the gov-ernor when he travels to differentlocations in Texas.

Unsolved CrimesInvestigation Team

Texas Uniform Crime reportsreveal that Texas accounts for ap-proximately 8 percent of all ho-micides reported in the UnitedStates. Since 1987, Texas law en-forcement agencies have reported23,300 murders; Texas law en-forcement agencies have cleared 71percent of the murders, or 16,562.(It’s important to note that thesestatistics do not include peoplewho have been reported missingand are presumed dead.)

In 2000, the Ranger Divisionactively researched and developeda proposal for the creation of anUnsolved Crimes InvestigationTeam within the Ranger Divi-sion. Investigators would receive

specialized training in the most up-to-date investigative techniquesrelating to unsolved homicidesand serial cases. The proposal wasincluded in the Department’s ex-ceptional items list presented tothe 77th session of the Texas Leg-islature.

Domestic Violence/Sexual AssaultHomicide SchoolDuring the first part of 2000, theRanger Division received a grantfrom the Office of the Governor,Criminal Justice Division, for atwo-year training program ondomestic violence and sexual as-sault homicide. The program wastaught by Vernon J. Geberth, aretired lieutenant commander ofthe New York City Police De-partment. Mr. Geberth is a na-tionally known lecturer, author,educator, consultant and expertwitness on death investigations.His instruction provided the mostpractical and conventional infor-mation available to investigatorswho are responsible for conduct-ing investigations into violent andsudden death.

Significant Investigations! Ranger Sgt. Gary De Los

Santos was requested by investi-gators with the Sarasota County,Florida, Sheriff ’s Office to assistthem in the investigation into thecapital murder of Sheila Bellushon Nov. 7, 1997. The investigationrevealed that the homicide was amurder-for-hire scheme that wasordered by the victim’s ex-husband,

a San Antonio man named AllenBlackthorne. Subsequent investi-gation by Sgt. De Los Santos re-vealed that one of the suspects hadfled to Mexico. Sgt. De Los Santos,working with the Mexican Stateand Judicial Police, was success-ful in having the suspect arrestedand incarcerated in a Mexicanprison pending extradition to theUnited States. Sgt. De Los Santosalso located and arrested the othersuspects in the capital murder.The investigation continued, andon July 7, 2000, Blackthorne wasconvicted of conspiracy to capi-tal murder through use of inter-state commerce facility. He re-ceived two life sentences.

!"Ranger Sgt. Johnny Allenwas requested to assist the ValVerde County Sheriff ’s Office witha homicide and an attempted ho-micide. The victims, a 10-year-oldfemale and a 13-year-old female,encountered an intruder in theirbedroom in the early morning hoursof Dec. 31, 1999. The investiga-tion revealed that the deceased vic-tim had been asleep in a bottombunk and the surviving victim hadbeen asleep in the top bunk. Shortlyafter gaining entry into the resi-dence, the intruder attacked the13-year-old victim with a knife,fatally wounding her. As the fatalattack occurred, the 10-year-oldvictim pretended to be asleep, andas the intruder was exiting the bed-room, he saw that she was watch-ing him. At this point, the intruderapproached the 10-year-old andslashed her throat, leaving her fordead. The intruder then left the


bedroom and the 10-year-old vic-tim stayed in the bed until sheheard a vehicle’s motor start out-side the residence and drive off.The 10-year-old then left the houseand summoned help from a resi-dence approximately a quarter ofa mile away.

As a result of the investigation,the surviving victim identified theattacker from a photo lineup shownto her while she was recuperatingin a San Antonio hospital. Warrantscharging the suspect with capitalmurder and attempted capital mur-der were subsequently issued. Thesuspect was arrested in the earlymorning hours of Jan. 2, 2000, athis residence west of Del Rio. Fol-lowing the suspect’s arrest, he gavewritten and videotaped confes-sions to comitting these crimes.Since then, he has also confessedto committing nine other murdersin several states. Four of the mur-ders have been confirmed at thistime.

! Ranger Sgt. Tommy Rat-liff was requested by the HaysCounty Sheriff ’s Office to assistthem in the investigation of thecapital murder of a police officer.On Aug. 3, 2000, State HighwayPatrol Trooper Randall Vettermade a traffic stop on the frontageroad of IH-35 in northern HaysCounty. Immediately upon stop-ping, the suspect exited his ve-hicle, pointed a rifle at TrooperVetter and advanced toward him.Trooper Vetter repeatedly orderedthe suspect to put down theweapon. The suspect then firedseveral rounds at Trooper Vetter,striking him once in the head.Other officers responded to thescene and, after a short standoff,the suspect was taken into custody.

Trooper Vetter was transported toan Austin hospital, where he diedfour days later of the head wound.The suspect has been chargedwith capital murder.

Investigations: 4,601Felony arrests: 1,140Misdemeanor arrests: 230Indictments returned: 1,474Search warrants executed: 338Statements secured: 2,440Confessions gained: 416Value of recovered stolen property: $1,197,968Value of contraband seized:

$2,047,759Convictions in cases investigated

by the Rangers: 1,474Death sentences: 11Life sentences: 42

Total penitentiary time assessed: 7,993

Court writs served: 29Warrants served: 167Miles traveled: 2,025,186Traffic referrals made: 42


Administration DivisionThe Administration Division

provides a wide variety of supportfunctions for the entire Depart-ment. The division includes theCrime Records Service, the StaffSupport Service and the Divisionof Emergency Management.

Crime Records ServiceDue to the increased demand

placed upon the agency for bothcivil and criminal fingerprintbased identifications, DPS up-graded the Automated Finger-print Identification System’s(AFIS) capabilities to includeauto-classification and auto-verifi-cation.

These system enhancementsallowed DPS to increase the num-ber of fingerprint identificationsmade by the agency without need-ing to increase the number of em-ployees dedicated to fingerprintidentification.

Additionally, due to the in-creased processing speed affordedby these enhancements, DPS wasable to eradicate a substantialbacklog of fingerprint identifica-tion requests and has been able tokeep current with daily process-ing requests. Current electronicfingerprint requests are processedin minutes as opposed to thehours required prior to the en-hancements.

Furthermore, through thenew enhancements, DPS has real-ized an increase in accuracy forboth ten print identifications andlatent crime scene identifications.

In order to take full advantageof auto-classification and auto-

verification, DPS had to adopt thenational standard for the captureand processing of fingerprint im-ages. This standard, promulgatedby the American National Stan-dards Institute and the NationalInstitute of Standards and Tech-nology (ANSI/NIST), is recog-nized by all fingerprint identifi-cation practitioners.

By moving to this ANSI/NIST standard, DPS not onlygained the aforementioned auto-mation enhancements, but alsogained the ability to communicatefingerprint information to dis-similar fingerprint systems. Be-cause of this common electronicformat, DPS has been able to au-tomate the submission of civil andcriminal fingerprint cards to theFBI. Through the use of theANSI/NIST standard the FBI isable to respond to criminal inquir-ies in less than two hours and civilsubmissions in less than 24 hours--a dramatic reduction from theweeks associated with paper sub-missions.

DPS has historically main-tained a large repository of paperfingerprint cards. However, withthe adoption of the ANSI/NISTfingerprint standard, DPS has be-gun to store all new fingerprintsubmissions in the national stan-dard format. This migration tothe standard has created a dual fin-gerprint repository at DPS--oneelectronic and one paper. Becauseof the utility afforded by theANSI/NIST record format, DPSembarked upon a plan to convertsome 4 million historical finger-

print cards to the ANSI/NISTstandard.

The conversion of the finger-prints has yielded a number ofbenefits for DPS, as well as the na-tional criminal justice commu-nity. At the DPS level, the con-version will allow DPS to free upvaluable physical space associatedwith the storage of paper finger-print cards, while at the same timemaking the electronic versions ofthe cards more accessible to thecriminal justice community.

An additional benefit to thedigitization of the older finger-print records is that DPS will beable to submit all past Texas ar-rests to the FBI for inclusion inthe FBI’s Interstate IdentificationIndex (III). In the past, the onlyTexas arrests that were sent to theFBI were ones where the local ar-resting agency took the time toroll an additional fingerprint cardfor the FBI’s use. Including theseolder Texas arrests in III resultsin more information for the na-tional law enforcement commu-nity and also provides additionalinformation for national back-ground checks required by theBrady Bill, Volunteers for Chil-dren Act and many other stateand federal laws.

Emergency ManagementService

The Emergency ManagementService develops and implementsplans that will reduce the vulner-ability of Texans and their commu-nities to damage, injury or loss of


The Cash America International building is one of many businesses that hadwindows blown out and suffered extensive damage when a F2 tornado swept throughDowntown Fort Worth on March 28, 2000. Photo by: Duke Mazurek/DEM

Sixteen aircraft from the Texas Army National Guard assisted in fire fighting effortsthroughout the wildfire season of 2000. Photo by: Sgt. Ken Walker/TXARNG

life and property from both natu-ral and human-made disasters.These can include severe weather,tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, for-est fires, drought and heat waves.The tremendous diversity of ter-rain in Texas and the many variedbusinesses in our state subject ourcitizens to a broad number of di-saster possibilities on any given day.

Emergency Managementworks closely with county judges,mayors and other elected officials,emergency managers, and others inthe private and public sectors, tocreate and develop strong, manage-able plans tailored to specific andindividual needs. The service alsoworks closely with state agenciesthrough the State Emergency Man-agement Council, which serves asthe State Emergency ResponseCommission.

Two of the most visible disas-ters to hit Texas in 2000 were theFort Worth Tornado, which struckshortly after 6:00 p.m. on theevening of March 28 and the wild-fires, which raged from the plainsof West Texas to the piney woodsof East Texas and caused theEmergency Operations Center tobe activated for 85 consecutivedays.

WildfiresFollowing the heightened an-

ticipation surrounding Y2K, theEmergency Management Servicehad only a short 2-day reprievebefore launching into a response towildfires on January 5. The 61-dayactivation at Level III, or “In-creased Readiness,” during the win-ter months served as a prelude tothe coming wildfire season. ByMarch 6, the Emergency Opera-tions Center would return to its

normal activation of Level IV for50 days, with a three-day activa-tion for the Fort Worth Tornado.

The state's entrance into fireseason began with a crack as light-ning strikes sparked the CookRanch Fire in early May. Threelightning strikes sparked separatefires that would come together andburn 47,000 acres, destroying valu-able forage for livestock and wild-life, 54-miles of fence and a small

storage building.More than 380 personnel from

17 local, state, federal and inter-national agencies worked with pri-vate landowners to battle the wild-fires. Rugged terrain, extremedrought conditions and changingweather complicated suppressionefforts. Full containment wasachieved on May 17, leaving theEmergency Management Servicewith a two-month respite.


The Emergency ManagementService went to Level IV, or "Ac-tive Status," on July 16 beginningthe most active fire watch of theyear. Although only three fires thatburned 360 acres occurred thatweekend, a strong ridge of highpressure anchored across the south-ern Rockies combined with verydry air above the surface to gener-ate a weather pattern conducive tohigh temperatures. Excessive heatfurther dried grasses and brush cre-ating rapidly deteriorating condi-tions.

The Service called in represen-tatives from the Texas Forest Ser-vice, Texas Army National Guard,Texas Department of Criminal Jus-tice, Texas Department of Trans-portation, Texas Engineering Ex-tension Service, State AircraftPooling Board, Civil Air Patrol,Texas Parks and Wildlife, GeneralServices Commission, Texas Com-mission on Fire Protection, TexasDepartment of Public Safety andTexas Agricultural Extension andResearch Service. Assistant StateCoordinator Jack Colley beganholding daily meetings with repre-sentatives from the agencies todetermine what resources wereavailable in the state and where tostage them for the most expedientresponse to the wildfire situation.The Service was prepared to tapevery resource available to helpinsure the safety of Texans and re-serve property. The Texas ForestService and the Texas Army Na-tional Guard posted representa-tives full-time in the EmergencyOperations Center to help coordi-nate resources and provide promptresponse.

By late July, 195 of the 254Texas counties were considered to

have high to extreme fire danger.At that time, then GovernorGeorge W. Bush requested anemergency declaration from thepresident to stage fire fighting re-sources throughout the state. Thisdeclaration would have allowedthe state to take proactive effortsby placing resources where theycould more readily respond to com-munity needs. Although the statehad received similar declarations in1993, 1996, 1998 and 1999, thepresident denied this request andthe resulting appeal. DEM, how-ever, never slackened in its effortsto protect Texas citizens from thisthreat.

High winds and dry conditionshampered fire-fighting effortsthroughout the summer. By Au-gust, fire fighters were warned torecognize the potential for extreme fire behavior. In some in-stances, conditions were describedas “explosive,” with vegetation sodry that it would ignite easily andburn intensely. Fighting continu-ous fires took a toll on manpowerand equipment throughout the sum-mer. When offered, the Serviceeven drew on outside resources, in-cluding helicopter support fromNorth Carolina and Iowa. The bulkof the responsibility to containTexas wildfires came from Texasresources.

The Emergency ManagementService also joined efforts by theTexas Forest Service and TexasAgricultural Extension Service towarn Texans of the dangers ofcarelessly starting fires throughdebris burning, running equipmentor vehicles over dry vegetation anddisposing of smoking materialsimproperly. A special “WildfireAwareness” packet was prepared

and sent statewide, along with pub-lic awareness messages and preven-tion tips.

Before the 85 days of consecu-tive activation ended on Oct. 8,more than 2,580 homes and 489structures had been threatened byfire, but only 33 homes and 53structures were damaged. Firesburned tens of thousands of acresthroughout the state and ones suchas the Ranger Hill Fire, whichburned more than 3,000 acres, theChicken Fire, which burned morethan 3,400 acres, and the MooreBranch Fire, which burned morethan 15,500 acres, even garnerednational attention.

The Service and firefightersthroughout the state breathed asigh of relief when the arrival of astrong cold front and tropical mois-ture from Hurricane Keith dimin-ished fire activity in early October.By Oct. 8, 32,000 fires had burnedalmost 630,000 acres since the be-ginning of the year, according tothe Texas Forest Service.

In total, the Service was acti-vated for 153 days in 2000 due towildfires.

“It's probably the event that re-quires our center to be activatedthe most,” said State CoordinatorTom Millwee.

Fort Worth TornadoResidents of north central

Texas know that it is not a ques-tion of whether a tornado willstrike their community, but when.The calm of a balmy March twi-light was shattered by the flyingglass and debris from high risebuildings as a tornado toucheddown in the suburb of River Oaks,just blocks from downtown.

The March 28 “F2 tornado”


left a six-mile long damage path,and the associated storms causedfive deaths, ninety injuries and se-verely damaged hundreds ofhomes and commercial buildings.

The Emergency ManagementService had been on a Level II orIncreased Alert due to unstableweather conditions, and when thetornado struck just after the rushhour traffic had cleared the down-town area, the Emergency Opera-tions Center in Austin was imme-diately put on Level I or ActiveStatus, with the full staff coordi-nating all available state resources.

A unique aspect of the FortWorth Tornado was that it struckan urban downtown area. Litteredwith broken glass and falling glasspanes from high rise buildings,downtown Fort Worth was danger-ous not only for the public andbusiness owners, but for first re-sponders as well.

At 8 a.m. the following morn-ing, March 29, then-Lt. Gov. RickPerry and Emergency ManagementService State Coordinator TomMillwee toured the tornado-stricken area with Fort Worth MayorKenneth Barr and Tarrant CountyJudge Tom Vandergrift. ActingGov. Perry immediately proclaimedthat the severe thunderstorms, tor-nadoes, hail and flooding hadcaused a disaster in Tarrant County.Recovery teams from the Emer-gency Management Service leftAustin for Fort Worth to beginworking with local officials to sur-vey damage and report their find-ings back to then-Gov. George W.Bush over the weekend.

Millwee said, “We have teamsof extremely experienced andhighly qualified people on site whoare working closely with local gov-

ernment officials to determine theextent of the damage and help plana recovery program. We have teamsvisiting the communities of FortWorth, River Oaks, Arlington andGrand Prairie performing prelimi-nary damage assessment surveysand will remain for as long as ittakes.”

On March 31, Mayor Barrwrote to Bush, “On behalf of thecitizens of the City of Fort Worth,I’d like to thank you and the myriadof people from the State officeswho have responded so promptlyand ably to us in our hour of need.”

After initial damage surveys thegovernor asked the president for aFederal Disaster Declaration. Thedeclaration was granted on April 7,making state and federal assistanceavailable.

Since the disaster, more than$3.8 million in infrastructure fundshave been allocated, and the SmallBusiness Administration hasgranted $1.7 million in low inter-

The Alpine DPS office opened in early 2000.

est loans and $948,000 in businessloans. The insurance policy carriedby the City of Fort Worth, and theircontinued preparation for disasters,were two factors that kept the costsand loss of life to a minimum.

Staff Support ServiceBuilding Program Bureau

The Building Program Bureauworks with Department employ-ees, the General Services Commis-sion, architects, engineers contrac-tors and regulatory agencies to co-ordinate building design, renova-tion and new construction, as wellas land purchases. The bureau alsomanages telephone services andequipment, Tex-An service andbilling, coordinates Headquartersrecycling efforts and assists fieldoffices with major repairs and util-ity cost monitoring.

The Department owns 120 of-fice buildings and leases 40 facili-ties throughout the state. It also


owns 83 radio tower sites and air-craft hanger space at five locations.The bureau manages approximately1,802,492 square feet of floorspace at the Headquarters complexand in the six DPS regions.

During 2000, the followingconstruction, addition and renova-tion of area offices were com-pleted: Alpine, Baytown, Borger,Brownsville, Cleburne, Decatur,Humble, Plainview, Temple,Terrell, and Waco Crime Lab. Thefollowing Driver License officeswere completed: El Paso (west),North Austin, Fort Worth and SanAntonio (General McMullen). Allof these projects were funded inFY 1998-1999 and completed in2000. Land acquisition for newfacilities in Eastland andMcKinney has been completed.The projects will be started inFY2001.

Construction for the new Re-gional headquarters facility inHouston broke ground and con-struction is expected to be com-pleted in August 2001.

Fleet OperationsFleet Operations is responsible

for the acquisition, installation,maintenance and disposal of ve-hicles, two-way communicationsand emergency equipment used bythe Department. This bureau man-ages a fleet of approximately 3,000vehicles, and consists of the Au-tomotive Shop, the CommunicationShop, the Parts Department andthe Fleet Office.

The Fleet Office facilitates ve-hicle purchasing and registration,vehicle maintenance and personnelrecords, as well as the sale of ve-hicles and equipment to govern-

mental entities and at State auc-tions. Status reporting, documen-tation and correspondence origi-nate from this area.

The Automotive Shop main-tains, repairs, refurbishes and cus-tomizes vehicles used by the De-partment. This is a full service fa-cility capable of performing anyand all repairs required of extremeuse vehicles. Heavy line repairssuch as transmission and motoroverhaul as well as major wreck re-pair are predominant within thisshop. A full service paint and bodyshop repairs wrecked vehicles andperforms make-ready maintenancefor surplus vehicles.The Automotive Shop providesstatewide wrecker service for theDepartment. Fleet vehicles are pre-pared for sale at state auctions orto governmental entities.

!"Fleet supervisors were in-strumental in the development ofthe statewide Fleet ManagementPlan created by HB 3125.

!"Significant time was spentplanning for the Agency’s first re-mote field automotive repair facil-ity that is scheduled to open in2001.

! The increasing age andmileage of the fleet continues toimpact operating budgets and theday to day activities of fleet driv-ers. Average replacement mileagefor fleet vehicles has increased toapproximately 130,000 miles, caus-ing a significant decrease in the per-centage of return on surplus ve-hicles.

Automotive shopMechanical repairs: 6,092Major mechanical repairs (motor,transmisssion, etc): 166Body shop repairs: 247

Major wreck repairs: 45Wrecker runs: 144Extended wrecker runs requiringovernight stay: 87Miles traveled on wrecker runs:

29,958Surplus vehicles sold to

governmental entities: 74Return on governmental sales:

$463,391Average price on governmental

sales: $6,262Surplus vehicles sold at auction:

264Return on auction sales:

$976,200Average price on auction sales:

$3,697Total Recovered from Insurance

Claims: $166,666

The Communications Shop isresponsible for the planning, licens-ing, installation, maintenance anddisposal of the communicationequipment used by the Depart-ment. This includes fixed siteequipment such as base stations,repeaters, microwaves, station con-soles, and mobile and portable ra-dios.

All statewide police and localgovernment frequency coordina-tion is also managed in this shop.In addition, they also coordinatethe installation and maintenance ofradio towers, communicationequipment buildings, and portableand solar generators for emergencypower at remote sites, as well asemergency equipment such as si-rens, lighting systems, video cam-eras, and vehicle and weapon anti-theft devices.

This shop also manages theDepartment's Emergency Commu-nication Van, a self-contained ve-hicle capable of providing remote


emergency communications in theevent of natural disasters or emer-gency situations.

! A significant amount ofmanpower was directed toward theStatewide Radio Task Force as theystudied the feasibility of a state-wide radio system. Much of thework focused on obtaining andcompiling the historical informa-tion of each agency.

! Although the Departmentbegan the migration to a digital ra-dio system in 1994, the initial planwas revised in FY-2000 to concen-trate on the completion of Region4 to gain more immediate resultsand experience with the system.Equipment installed included 8main base stations, 13 repeatercontrol stations and 12 repeaters.The new equipment should pro-vide less interference and highervoice quality than its' analog coun-terpart. When new consoles are in-stalled, additional features such asunit ID, group calling and emer-gency call will become available.Additional equipment installedthroughout the state included nu-merous equipment shelters andgenerators.

! Many additional radio li-

censes were renewed (with the nar-row-band channels added to the li-cense) in order to continue the mi-gration to a digital communica-tions system.

! Building and planning con-tinued for the repair facility at thenew Houston Regional Office thatwill house the radio and automo-tive technicians.

Communication ShopNew vehicle installations: 480Base station/repeater installations:

32Base station/repeater repairs: 300Tower Maintenance/Inspections:

23Mobile radio repairs: 957Portable radio repaired: 209Radios programmed: 937Radar repairs: 117Emergency lights/sirens/camerasrepaired: 931Work days in field: 466Miles traveled in field: 96,928Miscellaneous repairs/special

projects: 933Sale of surplus equipment:

$66,375Frequency coordinations

processed: 554

Parts DepartmentThe Parts

Department main-tains an extensiveinventory of auto-motive and elec-tronic parts andsupplies to sup-port the functionsof Fleet Opera-tions as well as tomeet the needs offield personnel. In

addition, they have capital inven-tory responsibility for most of theitems used in the fleet and through-out the communication system.

! The Parts Department, forthe first time in a number of years,became fully staffed during the lastquarter. Training became a priorityto bring new employees up tospeed in order to meet the de-mands from Fleet Operations anddepartmental personnel.

Work orders processed: 4,888Supply orders processed: 3,344Emergency purchase orders

processed: 5,220Contract orders: 254Invoices processed: 5,490Capital equipment transfers: 4,246Total sales: 1,388,875Purchases received: $726,976Gasoline sold at headquarters:

$220,976

General Services BureauThe General Services Bureau

is comprised of General ServicesOffice staff, Mail Operations, Re-production and Supply, GeneralStores, Receiving Warehouse andSurplus Property sections. Thebureau’s employees provide sup-port and excellent customer serviceto the public, DPS offices through-out the state, other state agencies,city and county offices, and federalgovernment offices in the mostcost-efficient manner possible.

The General Services Officestaff manages the sales of publi-cations, including various formsand books used by the public andother law enforcement entities, andall departments manuals and revi-sions. This office is also respon-

Shops personnel repair hundreds of vehicles per year.


sible for office equipment and com-puter repairs with the General Ser-vices Commission.

The Mail Operations Sectionprocessed 3,462,026 pieces of out-going mail and 6,403,924 pieces ofincoming mail the Department dur-ing the year. The section also re-corded 64,449 certified letters and34,660 overnight express itemsthrough their database.

Through their initiative toimplement vendor processing, thestaff of the Mail Operations Sec-tion saved the Department$571,767.22 on postage during theyear. Their initiative also allowedthe Department to become the firstagency in Austin to offer electronicDelivery Confirmation on Prioritymail at no additional cost.

The Reproduction and SupplySection is represented by ArtGraphics, Print Shop, Bindery,Quick Copy Center, Camera Shopand Office Supply. This area pro-duces a variety of high quality, lowcost services that supports theagency including approximately1740 numbered forms annually,pamphlets, driver handbooks,criminal bulletins, brochures,books, posters, decals, businesscards, various size envelopes andinformational literature.

During 2000, Art Graphicscompleted 853 jobs, the Print Shopand Bindery completed 4,802 jobswith 112,112,290 impressions, andthe Quick Copy Center produced7,115,542 impressions. The Cam-era Shop averaged 65 new or re-vised jobs per month.

Office Supply maintained a re-volving inventory valued at ap-proximately $500,000. During theyear, the Section processed a total

Most License & Weight troopers across the state now drive truckssimilar to this one.

of 7,812 orders to-t a l i n g$1,085,779.59 ingoods.

General Storesis responsible forpurchasing and is-suing uniforms,firearms and lawenforcement equip-ment to the com-missioned officerswith a revolving in-ventory valued atapproximately 1,605,000. GeneralStores is also responsible for thesale of Special Ranger badges tocommissioned retired officers.During 2000, General Stores pro-cessed 10,697 orders valued at$1,845,642.22.

The DPS Receiving Warehousereceived approximately 3,529,020pounds of freight and shipped ap-proximately 27,970 pounds offreight. A total of three sealed bidsauctions were held with over 4,100items being disposed of in accor-dance with State Surplus and Sal-vage Rules and Regulations. Thisamount of surplus property is 50percent more than last year.

Human Resources BureauThe Human Resources Bureau

supports, trains, and advises De-partment senior staff and employ-ees regarding human resources poli-cies and procedures related to the7,047 full time employees DPS hadat the end of 2000. The Bureauprovides the following services:recruiting for commissioned andnon-commissioned positions, pro-motional testing for commissionedpersonnel, risk management (in-cluding health and safety andWorker's Compensation), posting

of job announcements for vacantpositions, applicant testing andscreening, job analysis and evalua-tion, maintenance of employeepersonnel files, and coordination ofthe State Employee Incentive Pro-gram (SEIP) for the Department.

The Bureau administers theDepartment's sick leave pool; en-sures compliance with Family andMedical Leave Act, Fair LaborStandards Act, Americans withDisabilities Act, State Worker'sCompensation and State Classifi-cation Act; monitors compliancewith leave entitlements; providesstatistical information as required;responds to open records requestsand subpoenas; and conducts su-pervisory and staff training on hir-ing and promotional programs/pro-cesses.

In 2000, the Human ResourcesBureau Recruiting Section, withthe assistance of field personnel,continued its focus on attractingfemales into law enforcement fromnon-traditional recruiting areas.Recruiting personnel throughoutthe state participated in job fairsat various locations includingshopping malls, outlets, countyfairs and rodeos in an effort to re-cruit additional females. Law en-


forcement literature designed to at-tract female applicants was distrib-uted during this effort.

The Compensation, Classifica-tion, and Job Announcement Sec-tion, responsible for ensuring ap-propriate classification and equi-table compensation for Depart-ment positions, conducted jobanalysis and evaluations on a largenumber of secretarial positionsthroughout the agency, as well as alarge number of other diverse po-sitions during 2000. There were151 job analysis/evaluations re-quests completed during the year.There were approximately 850 jobdescriptions written or revised and1,297 headquarters and field jobannouncements processed andposted during the same time pe-riod. This is a 14.2% increase involume of announcements over theprevious fiscal year.

The Headquarters RecruitingSection distributed 127,992 piecesof recruiting literature, attended421 military, college and minorityorganization career fairs, and con-ducted 6,280 specific recruitingconferences in 2000. Civilianbackground investigations totaled58 with 226 civilian record checks.

The Law Enforcement Promo-tional Unit administered 29 vari-

ous promotional processes duringthe year, which included Sergeants,Lieutenants and Captains exams inall DPS divisions. Approximately1,400 individuals participated bytaking one or more examinations.Of this number, 389 were calledto participate in the oral board pro-cess and about 120 participantswere placed on an eligibility list orpromoted.

The Health & Safety Sectionwas very active in the indoor airquality incident that plagued theHeadquarters Complex for severaldays in October. Test results fromindependent consultants failed toidentify any specific cause of theproblem, concluding that the inci-dent was episodic stemming froma variety of factors that werequickly addressed by the Depart-ment.

The State Employee IncentiveProgram (SEIP) processed a totalof five employee suggestions forthe year 2000. Lorna Meyer fromthe accounting department washonored with a cash reward, whichresulted in cost savings for theDepartment.

Psychological Services BureauThe Psychological Services

Bureau, headed by Dr.Frances Belmont, Psy.D,has a staff of four full-time employees who pro-vide services both atHeadquarters and aroundthe state involving Psy-chological Services, Criti-cal Incident Response,Employee AssistanceProgram and Victim Ser-vices.

The Bureau coor-dinates or directly deliv-

ers services to DPS employees andtheir families. Services are de-signed to prevent stress-relatedemotional or behavioral problemsor to minimize their occurrence.Additionally, this bureau providesor oversees the delivery of man-dated services to crime victims andaffected communities.

During 2000, the staff in thePsychological Services Bureau ac-complished the following activi-ties:

The DPS Psychological Ser-vices responded on many levels tothe fatal shooting of Highway Pa-trol Trooper Randall Vetter, includ-ing activation of the DPS CriticalIncident Response Team and DPSVictim Services. Trooper Vetter'sdeath affected DPS personnel,other law enforcement personnel,emergency service personnel andmany Texas citizens. Some of theservices provided included on-scene support, peer and victim ser-vices support at the hospital andat DPS field offices, defusings,debriefings, funeral support, indi-vidual psychotherapy, court assis-tance and follow-up.

! The DPS Critical IncidentResponse Team added 47 new em-ployee members, two DPS spouses,and six chaplains. The Team nowhas 135 members, which includes123 commissioned and non-com-missioned employees, two spouses,and eight chaplains. The Psycho-logical Services Bureau staff pro-vides coordination and clinical su-pervision of Team activities.

! In June 2000, DPS VictimServices trained an additional 29mental health professional volun-teers in Critical Incident StressManagement and Crisis Responseto Victims, bringing the total num-

Cheryl Iselt (left) and Dr. Fran Belmont of the Psychologi-cal Services Bureau.


Training BureauTraining Academy

During 2000, the TrainingAcademy staff accomplished thefollowing tasks:

! The Training Academystaff played a key role in bringingthe Valuing Relationships course--a new approach to cultural diver-sity training that places importanceupon remembering the past, doingwhat is right today, and planningfor the future--to the Department.The course emphasizes the contri-butions of all people who built ourState and Country and stresses theimportance of our differences aswell as our similarities and how thecombination of the two contrib-uted to the development of oursociety.

! The training staff con-tacted several leading specialists inthe field of Computer Crime anddeveloped a course for Texas po-

lice officers that focuses on com-puter crime and its impact upon thestate. This course will be offeredthrough the Training Academy forDepartment personnel and is spon-sored by the Texas Police Associa-tion for local and county law en-forcement agencies in the state.

! In cooperation with theTraffic Law Enforcement Division,the training staff implemented aTactical Communication Schooldesigned to help Department per-sonnel develop communicationskills that will assist them in suc-cessful interaction with the public.The course uses techniques asso-ciated with “Verbal Judo” to helppersonnel conduct conversationswith the public without confron-tation or demanding overtones.The skills developed through thiscourse enable personnel to more ef-fectively communicate with othersboth professionally and in privatelife.

! The training staff designeda new High Risk Patrol course thatimplements and uses the latesttechniques and tactics for conduct-ing high risk patrol and traffic stops.The course gives the student sev-eral tactical options to utilize whenconducting high-risk patrol. Thecourse was introduced into the re-cruit training program and will beimplemented into inservice train-ing for Department personnel.

Statistical InformationNumber of Trooper Trainees

trained: 140Total contact hours with Trooper

Trainees: 120,388.25Specialized School Students

(TPA): 543Total contact hours with

Specialized School Students: 17,377

In-Service School Students: 2,929Total contact hours with In-Service

School Students: 108,385New CHL Instructor applicants

trained: 91CHL Instructor renewals: 329

Administrative Training UnitDuring 2000, the Administra-

tive Training Unit trained 1,411 stu-dents for a total of 10,091 trainingcontact hours. The Unit created atwo-week Supervisory and Man-agement Skills course that has beenvery favorably received by all divi-sions of DPS. The goal of thiscourse is to provide supervisorswith the resources necessary toperform their job in an effectiveand efficient manner. The coursecovers leadership skills, perfor-mance evaluations, human re-source issues, counseling issues,the complaint process, sexual ha-rassment, etc. This course was of-fered twice during 2000.

In May, the staff worked withthe Public Agency Training Coun-cil to bring in Mr. Bill Westfall topresent his training on “MasteringPerformance Leadership, Supervi-sion and Management” to theagency's management staff. Bu-reau managers, section supervi-sors, first-line supervisors and fieldsupervisors were trained on lead-ership, motivation, situationalleadership, how to evaluate youremployees and how to assess your-self and your employees.

The unit's training classroomwas updated with the addition ofnew audio-visual equipment,which has greatly enhanced in-structor presentations. The staff

ber of trained volunteers to 250.These volunteers have assistedDPS in responding to more victimsthroughout the state of Texas thanin previous years. They have alsoassisted the DPS Critical IncidentResponse Team in responding tosome incidents.

! Seventeen members of theEmployee Assistance Program at-tended training from January 31 toFebruary 4, 2000. The scope ofEAP referral information was ex-panded beyond drug and alcoholreferrals to include cultural diver-sity issues; domestic violence; fi-nancial assistance resources; as-sessing dangerousness; involuntarycommitment procedures; active lis-tening skills; and problem solvingskills.


worked with other state agenciesto share training resources.

Instructors from various stateagencies present classes for our em-ployees and the staff has trained260 personnel at other state agen-cies.

Motorcycle Safety UnitThe Motorcycle Safety Unit

hired a second mobile training spe-cialist to enable the unit to providemore training in rural communities,resulting in an increase of 56 per-cent in mobile training. The Mo-torcycle Safety Unit also pur-chased 39 Suzuki GZ250 trainingmotorcycles, which were loaned totraining sites across Texas tosupplement in the program in ar-eas where there are insufficientnumbers of manufacture-spon-sored loan motorcycles available.

During 2000, motorcycle op-erator training sites contractingwith the Motorcycle Safety Train-ing Unit had 12,972 students en-rolled in either the Basic or Ad-vanced course. This is a recordhigh and a 22 percent increase over1999.

In the last five years, studentenrollment in motorcycle safetytraining courses has more thandoubled (6,045 in 1996 comparedwith 12,972 in 2000).

! The Basic Course enroll-ment increased 22 percent.

! The Advanced Course en-rollment decreased 2 percent.

! 11,863 of the enrolled stu-dents completed their course for apass rate of 91.7 percent.

! Women accounted for 25percent of the total studentstrained.

! 514 of the Basic Coursestudents were minors.

During 2000, 1,347 studentsattended an All-Terrain Vehicletraining course. The ATV bro-chure has been a tremendous hitand was distributed to many ATVsales outlets and to all coursegraduates.

School Bus TransportationThe School Bus Transportation

Office coordinates the statewidepublic school bus transportationprogram and in consultation withlocal education agency officials,state legislators, private vendorsand the general public regardingpublic school bus transportation.The office also assists developmentand evaluation of driver safetycourse materials and advises theGeneral Services Commission onstatewide school bus specifica-tions. In addition, the office evalu-ates current laws affecting schoolbus transportation and drafts leg-islation to clarify laws and improvethe safety of students.

The Unit received grants fromTxDOT to study the illegal pass-ing of school buses and to updatethe eight-hour School Bus DriverRe-certification program. The ille-gal passing study will collect infor-mation about average daily illegalpassing from Texas independentschool districts and gather datafrom driver license office custom-ers regarding their understanding ofthe no-passing law. The Depart-ment will issue recommendationsfor solving the problem. The grantto update the eight-hour SchoolBus Driver Re-certification pro-gram will review the 5-year oldcourse and make needed changesto the material to keep the programcurrent with changing times.

The Unit worked with the

House of Representative's Trans-portation Committee ChairmanClyde Alexander office to promoteNational School Bus Safety Week.Winners of the school bus safetyposter contest, along with winnersof the Texas Association for PupilTransportation (TAPT) School BusRoad-e-o were invited to an awardsceremony at the capital. A procla-mation signed by Governor Bushwas read declaring the week asSchool Bus Safety week in Texas.

The school bus driver certifi-cation program conducted 760classes providing drivers with thestate recommended safety educa-tion to qualify them to drive schoolbuses in Texas. The 760 classes thatwere conducted certified 6,363new school bus driver and 10,671driver re-certifications for three ad-ditional years.

Bicycle Safety ProgramThrough this program, the De-

partment certifies Bicycle SafetyInstructors throughout the state.The program is designed to helpmaintain the safety of Texas chil-dren by making them defensivebike riders. In 2000, the BicycleSafety program provided instruc-tors, schools, hospitals andchurches with more than 1,000 bi-cycle safety curriculum books;2,050 posters; 25,000 “Super Cy-clist” brochures and more than1,500 bicycle safety videotapes.The program assisted numerouslocal law enforcement agencieswith the presentation of a bicyclerodeo in Pasadena, Texas.


Director’s StaffAccounting and Budget Control

The last five years have seensignificant changes to statewideinitiatives impacting the Account-ing function. The HUB Program,Prompt Payment Act, Travel Cap,and Salary Cap have caused us towork smarter to achieve the goalsof the agency in relation to theseprograms. Accounting and Bud-get Control staff monitored theexpenditure of over $339 millionin agency appropriations duringFY 2000. Additional appropria-tion riders and authorizationspushed the Department's totalbudgeted funding for FY 2000 to$347,577,302. With an autho-rized strength of 105, Accountingensured the accurate processing,recording and reporting of agencytransactions by monitoring compli-ance with state and federal regula-tions and statutes. During a recentComptroller audit, the Travel sec-tion was commended for achiev-ing a 100 percent compliance rateby receiving a zero-findings audit.

We are excited about theimplementation of streamlinedprocesses relating to monthlybudget reporting. Field person-nel can now access theDepartment's network anddownload their monthly budgetreports. This procedure shouldsave at least 1 - 1 ½ weeks in downtime waiting for reports to comevia conventional means. En-hancements to the internal budgetprocessing procedures were imple-mented during the Legislative Ap-propriation Request cycle. Budget

Analysis personnel automated mul-tiple data-gathering instruments tospeed the analysis and summariza-tion of agency budget requests.The Procurement Card Programhas been a welcomed enhancementto the agency's purchasing proce-dures. With the reduction in pur-chase orders issued due to the useof the Procurement Card, we en-vision an improvement in our abil-ity to meet Prompt Payment re-quirements. Another exciting sys-tem enhancement being evaluatedis the remote inquiry by field per-sonnel of accounting records. Withthis enhancement, field personnelwill be able to inquire on-line aboutthe status of their purchase ordersor payments. Accounting person-nel are assessing the feasibility ofthis enhancement.

Accounting and Budget Con-trol staff members continuallystrive to meet the needs of our cus-

tomers. As we refined the defini-tion of our customer-oriented vi-sion, we reassessed the require-ments of our organizational struc-ture and implemented majorchanges in May 2000. As an on-going process, we will reevaluatethe goals of our service to theagency and will realign functionalcomponents to increase opera-tional effectiveness and efficiencyas necessary. We are committed toensuring Accounting excellence inall aspects of our service.

Equal EmploymentOpportunity Officer

The EEO officer coordinatesthe development, implementationand evaluation of theDepartment's Affirmative ActionPlan.

The EEO officer also monitorsselection and promotion activities,makes recommendations as neces-

This helicopter sports the new DPS paint scheme.


sary to improve employment ofprotected classes and provides in-formation and assistance to bothemployees and other interestedparties. In addition, the EEO of-ficer chairs the Sexual HarassmentComplaint Board, the Discrimina-tion Complaint Board and theHeadquarters EEO Committee.He also serves as an instructor forsexual harassment prevention andEEO classes.

AircraftThe Aircraft Section uses 7 he-

licopters, 7 single engine airplanesand 1 twin-engine airplane to sup-port local and state law enforce-ment operations. Missions includecriminal surveillance; searches forwanted felons, evidence and vic-tims; search and rescue missions,photographic missions and pris-oner and witness transfers.

This year the Aircraft Sectionwas able to replace two of our old-est aircraft with the use of seizedfunds. The Department acquireda new Aerospatiale 350B2 helicop-ter stationed in Austin and a newCessna 206 stationed in San Anto-nio.

The Aircraft Section's helicop-ters are now being painted blackand white as funds permit. Thestate seal is displayed on both sidesof the helicopter. The primary usesof our helicopters are search andrescue missions. The new paintscheme increases our visibility tothe public as a State Police Heli-copter operation.

Aircraft Missions supported2,458 criminal investigations re-sulting in 284 felony arrest and theconfiscation of illegal drugs valued

at $43,871,190.00

Flight Missions: 2,458Flight hours: 5,002Suspects located: 238Felony arrests: 284Victims located: 12Undercover investigations: 13Narcotic investigations: 818Criminal investigations: 650Contraband transported:

$1,225,000Impress transported: $1,731,000Value of narcotics located:

$43,871,179Value of Stolen property located:

$731,450Persons rescued: 4Lost persons located: 11Downed aircraft located: 7Drowning victims located: 1Medical transfers: 4Persons evacuated: 6

Information ManagementService

The Information ManagementService provides information tech-nology services to DPS and otherlaw enforcement agencies both inTexas and nationwide. Servicesinclude network management, ap-plication development and systemssupport. The department provides24-hour, 365-day access to criticalsystems.

We completed a very success-ful Y2K remediation effort with anuneventful New Years Day. Also,no problems were encounteredwith the leap year processing.

We handled more than 1 billiontransactions through our telecom-munications network (TLETS).This provides critical service to lawenforcement agencies across the

state and nation.We are continuing to deploy a

satellite network to bring techni-cal advance to all areas of the state.This infrastructure will support theTLETS network. This networkwill allow law enforcement agen-cies within Texas to take advantageof enhancements at the nationaland state levels.

We successfully implemented asystem to provide information ongangs. This system will allow lo-cal agency gang investigators tohave a broader view of criminalstreet gang membership.

Our systems provided betterthan 99 percent availability to ourcustomers.

Internal AffairsInternal Affairs conducts inves-

tigations of complaints madeagainst DPS employees, as as-signed by the Director, AssistantDirectors or Public Safety Com-mission. These investigations maytake the form of a Personnel Com-plaint investigation or an Admin-istrative Inquiry.

As a result of legislative andpolicy changes enacted in 1999 andimplemented in 2000, Internal Af-fairs now has jurisdiction over allcomplaints and coordinates all per-sonnel investigations not con-ducted by the unit. Whenever asupervisor receives a complaint onone of their employees, they mustcontact Internal Affairs for a track-ing number and, under certain cri-teria, must consult with the Inter-nal Affairs Captain. The Captainmay approve of the investigationbeing conducted by a supervisor orrequest the Director's office assign


the investigation to Internal Affairs.If a supervisor conducts the inves-tigation, it must be forwarded toInternal Affairs to be reviewed forcompleteness, investigative thor-oughness and sufficiency of evi-dence.

Internal Affairs also investi-gates all employee firearm dis-charges resulting in injury or death.This entails responding statewideto interview participants and wit-nesses, gather evidence, review anycriminal investigation conductedand prepare a comprehensive re-port for review by the employee'ssupervisors and DPS management.Firearm discharges not resulting ininjury or death are investigated bythe employee's immediate supervi-sor and, like complaint investiga-tions, must be forwarded to Inter-nal Affairs for a detailed review.

Internal Affairs also maintainsa database on all personnel com-plaints, administrative inquiries,and firearm discharges. These da-tabases are used to track the inves-tigations and provide monthly,quarterly and annual reports toagency management and the Pub-lic Safety Commission. InternalAffairs also furnishes theDepartment's Firearm TrainingOfficer with information on allfirearm discharges.

Upon request, Internal Affairsprovides assistance to the Officeof General Counsel in matters thathave, or could, result in litigationagainst the agency and its employ-ees, complaints to the Equal Em-ployment Opportunity Commis-sion/Texas Commission on Hu-man Rights, internal complaintsrelating to the Department's policyon Equal Employment Opportu-nity, administrative appeals of dis-

ciplinary matters and Open Recordrequests. Personnel are also avail-able to provide assistance to theAttorney General's Office in mat-ters involving litigation against thedepartment and its employees.

Internal Affairs is also thedepartment's designated investiga-tive body for fraudulent workerscompensation claims. As such, In-ternal Affairs is available to con-duct investigations in cooperationwith the State Office of Risk Man-agement whenever fraud is sus-pected.

Internal Affairs also providescontinuing assistance to employ-ees, personnel from other agenciesand citizens in such areas as com-plaint and firearm discharge inves-tigations, policies and procedures,training, statistics and backgroundinvestigations.

Accomplishments in 2000.! Internal Affairs established

a web page on the Department'sInternet website. This site not onlydescribes the duties and responsi-bilities of Internal Affairs, but con-tains the Department's ComplaintInvestigation and Resolution Pro-cedures, information on how to file

a complaint and downloadablecomplaint forms.

! As a result of a committeechaired by the Captain of InternalAffairs, the Department adopted acomprehensive firearm dischargeinvestigation policy. This policycovers the responsibilities not onlyof the involved employee, but re-sponding employees and supervi-sors, communications operators,Texas Rangers, Internal Affairs andPsychological Services.

StatisticsTotal Personnel Complaints: 182

Investigated by IA: 16Investigated by supervisors:

166Total Administrative Inquiries:

215Investigated by IA: 24Investigated by supervisors:

191Total Firearm Discharge incidents:

54Investigated by IA: 5Investigated by supervisors:

49Total Office of General Counsel

assistance: 63Litigation: 10Open Record requests: 53

Personnel Investigations

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Year

Nu

mb

er o

f In

vest

igat

ion

s


Workers Compensation Inquiries:0

Figures from Internal Affairsand Human Resources show thatover the last five years (1996 to2000), the number of DPS em-ployees has increased by approxi-mately 5.5 percent, while the num-ber of personnel investigations hasfallen approximately 4.3 percent.

Year 2000 figures also show adecline in the total number of em-ployee firearm discharge incidents,as well as firearm discharges result-ing in injury or death, which wereat their lowest level since 1986.

In addition, while staffing re-mained constant, Internal Affairs'overall workload continued to in-crease, rising more than 56.5 per-cent in the last two years. The unitis staffed by a captain, five lieuten-ants and two administrative tech-nicians.

Office of General CounselThe Office of General Coun-

sel experienced a few changes dur-ing the year 2000. Effective March1, 2000, our office name changedfrom Legal Services to the Officeof General Counsel (OGC). Wealso implemented a new legislativeinternet tracking system calledGallerywatch.com. This systemwill enable the Department to tracklegislation more accurately and ef-ficiently.

Our division advises and as-sists the Director and managementin law and policy affecting theagency. OGC provides counsel onemployment and personnel issues,criminal law, traffic law, litigation,tort claims, open records requestsand contracts. The division alsoreviews all proposed administra-

tive rules prior to publication in theTexas Register and represents theDepartment before the Office ofAdministrative Hearings. Our of-fice publishes a monthly Legal Bul-letin which informs departmentalemployees on various issues affect-ing day-to-day law enforcementoperations.

Attorneys review all claims fordamages filed under the TortClaims Act and assist the AttorneyGeneral in evaluating claims in-volving potential litigation. Theattorneys work closely with theAttorney General's office to coor-dinate representation of Depart-ment lawsuits. Approximately 125lawsuits a year are monitored.

Our Open Records section pro-cessed approximately, 1,207 OpenRecords requests through our of-fice last year. Of that number, 131were sent to the Attorney Generalfor decision. This section is alsoresponsible for reporting monthlyto the Legislative Budget Board onthe number Open Records pro-cessed Department wide.

The employees: General Coun-sel Mary Ann Courter and DeputyGeneral Counsel Duncan Fox su-pervise 20 employees.

Public Information OfficeThe Public Information Office

(PIO) represents the DPS to themedia and to the public. Staffmembers serve as media liaisonsand provide internal communica-tion venues for agency employees.

The PIO staff fields thousandsof telephone calls each year frommembers of the press and generalpublic posing questions about ev-ery aspect of Department opera-tions. Public information officers

also respond to written and e-mailqueries, distribute press releasesand brochures, and conduct inter-views and press conferences. Inaddition, the office issues pressidentification cards to members ofthe media and maintains a press-card database.

Department leaders and em-ployees keep up to date with cur-rent news topics through weeklyclip packs compiled and distributedby PIO. The staff also maintainsextensive archives of informationand photographs.

A PIO staff member also main-tains the Department's recordedemployee information line. In ad-dition, the staff compiles and ed-its the agency's annual report to theLegislature and produces amonthly employee newsletter, theChaparral.

The staff coordinates tours fornew DPS employees, visiting dig-nitaries and school groups. PIOsprovide training in media relationsand effective communication torecruits and other law enforcementofficers. PIO also coordinates traf-fic safety programs concerningairbags, car seats and safety belts.The program coordinator is nation-ally certified as a child safety seatinstructor and inspector.

A short look at some of theevents PIO was involved in dur-ing the year:

! PIO assisted with mediacalls arising from a former trooper’sclaim that he had been racially ha-rassed more than 12 years before.

! PIO set up national inter-views with a Highway Patroltrooper who delivered a baby onthe side of the road.

! DPS Narcotics officersseized a large amount of Ecstasy;


PIO made a news release.! PIO responded to the scene

to deal with the media whenTrooper Randall Vetter was shot inAugust.

! PIO responded to the scenewhen Capitol troopers fired on aman who attempted to run themdown in his truck. National media,who were in Austin in the afternathof the presidential elections, hadbeen near the scene when shotswere fired.

! PIO assisted the TexasDept. of Criminal Justice withmedia calls when seven inmatesescaped from the TDCJ ConnollyUnit in South Texas.

The numbers:1999 2000

Media calls 5,809 5,015E-mails 6,373 9,063

Training classes taught: 8General-interest press releases: 98Field response to

major incidents: 4Car seat clinics: 20Tours: 28


2000 AwardsMedal of Merit:

Shirley Timmons, Criminal Law Enforcement (Motor Vehicle Theft)

Director’s CitationsRobert L. Turner, Traffic Law Enforcement, March 27

Randal W. McGee, Traffic Law Enforcement, April 4Salvadore Abreo, Texas Rangers, January 7

Jack L. McCrea, Traffic Law Enforcement, February 4Scott Warren, Traffic Law Enforcement, February 4Lawrence P. Lilly, Traffic Law Enforcement, February 8

Pablo G. Chavez, Traffic Law Enforcement, February 8Derek A. Prestridge, Traffic Law Enforcement, February 8

Jim Rohrman, Traffic Law Enforcement, January 20Clinton J. Pirtle, Traffic Law Enforcement, January 20Sammy B. Lovelace, Traffic Law Enforcement, April 7

John Brannon, Aircraft, April 14Martin Jackson, Aircraft, April 14

Dirk C. Moore, Traffic Law Enforcement, April 25Alex Benavides, Traffic Law Enforcement, May 9Israel Camacho, Traffic Law Enforcement, May 10

Timothy A. Upright, Traffic Law Enforcement, May 10Gary Jason Graham, Traffic Law Enforcement, May 15

Gordon Wade, Aircraft, April 14Michael Escalante, Traffic Law Enforcement, June 7

Allen Trevino, Traffic Law Enforcement, June 7Hulon Dale Baggett Jr., Traffic Law Enforcement, July 17

Jason Freedman, Traffic Law Enforcement, , June 8Alfred Bee, Traffic Law Enforcement, September 1

Scott Rountree, Traffic Law Enforcement, September 1Eliseo Lee Coronado, Traffic Law Enforcement, September 25

Mary E. Geil, Driver License, September 27Richard Dickson, Criminal Law Enforcement, November 14

Ben Kyser, Administration, December 19


In Memorium

Trooper Vetter was the 75th DPS officer to die in the line of duty.

Trooper Randall W. Vetter, 28, died August 7, 2000, from wounds hesuffered during a traffic stop near Kyle, Texas on August 3.

Trooper Vetter was a six-year veteran of the DPS. He joined the DPSon December 6, 1994 and became a commissioned Trooper on June2, 1995. Trooper Vetter had been stationed in New Braunfels untilhe transferred to the San Marcos DPS office on July 1.

He had four letters of appreciation from the public for his assistancewith various educational and law enforcement related issues.

Trooper Vetter is survived by his wife, Cynthia; their eight-month-old son Robert; and his father, Kermit Vetter.

Highway Patrol TrooperRandall W. Vetter