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Texas Department of Public Safety
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The DPS is responsible for statewide law enforcement and vehicle regulation. The department is headed by the three member Public Safety Commission. The commission is made up of citizens appointed by the Governor of Texas and confirmed by the Texas Senate.
The Administration Division maintains DPS property, provides training to other divisions, and operates the Crime Records Service. The Crime Records Service maintains criminal justice information and issues concealed handgun licenses.
The Driver License Division is responsible for the issuing and revocation of Texas driver's licenses.
The Criminal Law Enforcement Division focuses on drug trafficking, organized crime, and motor vehicle theft. The division also provides crime lab services to other law enforcement agencies.
The Texas Highway Patrol (formerly the Traffic Law Enforcement Division) is the division most frequently seen by citizens. Troopers of the highway patrol are responsible for enforcing traffic and criminal law, usually in unincorporated areas, and serve as the Texas state police. State troopers also serve in management and administrative positions at Driver License Division offices. Every division office has at least 2 uniformed troopers assigned to it, and one plain clothes trooper who serves as the administrator of the office.
Probably the most well-known division of the DPS is the Texas Rangers. Rangers are responsible for state-level criminal investigation, among other duties.
The Division of Emergency Management is responsible for coordinating statewide emergency planning and response. Typical emergencies are weather-related (hurricanes, floods, tornadoes), but the DEM also has responsibility for containing outbreaks of infectious disease and containment of hazardous materials. The DEM is also responsible for administering Texas' AMBER Alert network.