Bodycam video shows confrontation between U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson and law enforcement
The footage shows Jackson being tackled to the ground and placed in handcuffs, with the Amarillo Republican directing a profanity-laced tirade toward a trooper. His office has said Jackson, a physician, was trying to help with a medical emergency.
State investigating claim that DPS troopers were told to push migrants back into the Rio Grande and deny them water
The Office of the Inspector General is investigating the claims, which include pushing small children and women with nursing babies back into the river and turning away a 4-year-old girl who later passed out on the riverbank from the heat.
New school safety laws seek to add armed guards, chaplains and mental health training. Here’s what you need to know.
Experts say many of the changes will bolster school safety but some requirements may be challenging for public schools to implement by the upcoming school year with limited funding and staffing constraints.
Gov. Greg Abbott sends more state police to patrol Austin after city leaders call for end to partnership
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson had said that troopers pulling a gun on a 10-year-old prompted the end of the agreement. A video of that encounter shows troopers with guns pointed at the ground, not the child.
State troopers will resume patrolling Austin streets in July, with some changes in response to criticism
Texas Department of Public Safety officers were criticized for the disparate number of Latino and Black residents arrested during the first iteration of a partnership to help Austin with policing duties.
Texas troopers renew inspections of commercial vehicles at Brownsville border bridge, triggering long delays
Truckers have reported waiting up to 24 hours to cross the border because of the inspections. Gov. Greg Abbott ordered similar inspections last year to stop smuggling, but troopers found no contraband after checking more than 4,000 vehicles.
Texas AG Ken Paxton probing Austin children’s hospital following video of social worker discussing transition-related care
On the same day the Texas Legislature is set to debate Senate Bill 14, a proposed ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for kids, the attorney general files a request to examine documents related to the use of puberty blockers and counseling for trans youth.
Once again, tension builds after state police are deployed to a major Texas city
A month after the Texas Department of Public Safety began patrolling Austin streets, city officials have both praised a drop in violent crime and condemned the operation’s disparate impact on Latino and Black residents. In 2019, Dallas faced the same challenges.
Criminal cases in South Texas are unraveling because of a Texas Ranger’s suspension after the Uvalde shooting
After the Texas Department of Public Safety suspended Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell, one of hundreds of officers who responded to the May 24 mass shooting, felony cases he investigated are in jeopardy and experts have questioned the justification for his suspension.
Feds often hand migrants over to state police rather than process immigration claims, complaint says
State police often rely on federal immigration officials to lock up migrants on state trespassing charges, according to a new complaint by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas. The collaboration contradicts federal and Texas officials’ attacks on each other’s immigration policies.
Texas DPS chief Steve McCraw says his agency “did not fail” at Uvalde school shooting
At a public meeting where families that lost children in the school shooting said he should resign, McCraw said members of the Department of Public Safety made mistakes. But he said he’ll step down only “if DPS as an institution failed the families.”
Texas state trooper who responded to Uvalde shooting fired amid investigations into police response
Department of Public Safety Sgt. Juan Maldonado is the first state police officer fired in the aftermath of a botched police response to the shooting. He was the highest-ranking state trooper to initially respond to Robb Elementary School.
Five Department of Public Safety officers face a formal investigation over Uvalde shooting response
Hundreds of law enforcement officers from several local, state and federal agencies have been heavily criticized for the delayed response in confronting the gunman during the worst school shooting in Texas history.
Governor Abbott, DPS launch iWatchTexas PSA to promote crime reporting system ahead of school year
The Department of Public Safety and Texas Governor Greg Abbott have partnered together to launch a public service announcement intended to promote a community reporting system as this school year begins.
Texas state police can keep Uvalde records secret for now, judge rules
The ruling sidestepped the question of whether the state police can withhold records concerning their response to the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary School. The judge concluded that state Sen. Roland Gutierrez had not properly filed his request under Texas’ public records law.
Texas troopers are causing car chase fatalities and racially profiling drivers under Abbott’s border crackdown, complaint claims
Two civil rights groups have expanded their request for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Operation Lone Star, citing evidence of risky pursuits and more frequent traffic stops of Hispanic drivers.
Texas Department of Public Safety investigating how 91 of its troopers and Rangers responded to Uvalde school shooting
The department’s officers made up nearly one-fourth of the 376 law enforcement members who responded to Texas’ deadliest school shooting. Announcement of the inquiry came one day after a report criticized police response to the massacre.
Texas will increase checkpoints for trucks crossing from Mexico after migrant smuggling deaths
DPS said the checkpoints won’t occur at the ports of entry, which is different than in April when Abbott mandated all commercial vehicles entering from Mexico be checked by state police. The order snarled trade with Mexico at the time.
Here’s how Pete Arredondo and other law enforcement differ on what happened during the Uvalde shooting
New information released by law enforcement sources and the director of the Department of Public Safety tells a different story about police response to the shooting than Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo.
Waiting for keys, unable to break down doors: Uvalde schools police chief defends delay in confronting gunman
Criticized by law enforcement experts for slowness in taking out the shooter, Pete Arredondo described an agonizing wait for a key that would work. In an interview with The Texas Tribune, he said he hadn’t spoken out sooner because he didn’t want to compound his hometown’s grief or point blame.
What did Greg Abbott’s border inspections turn up? Oil leaks, flat tires and zero drugs
The governor ordered troopers to thoroughly inspect every commercial truck coming from Mexico in what he described as an effort to stop illegal drugs and migrants from being smuggled into Texas. His order for increased state inspections led to snarling delays in trade between the two countries.
Gov. Greg Abbott eases state inspections at one commercial bridge, as trade remains snarled across the border
The move provides little relief as trade between Texas and Mexico is hampered along the border because of Abbott’s order. The Colombia bridge is just one of 13 commercial crossings between the two countries and the only one connected to Nuevo León.
DPS releases identities of pilot, passenger killed in plane crash near Katy Freeway in west Houston
The Department of Public Safety has released the identities of the pilot and passenger killed in a plane crash near the Katy Freeway. The pilot has been identified as Katy resident Solomon Babalola, 23, and the female passenger was Apesin Oluwafunmilayo, 20. She resided in Houston.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/QSFW43OAXBA57IMMLPNHMBU5SQ.jpg)
Texas prosecutor drops charges after migrants claim they were marched to private property, then arrested for trespassing
The Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Border Patrol insist the 11 men, arrested under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border initiative, weren’t set up for trespassing charges. But a county attorney decided the case was too muddled to prosecute.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/PIALTZQ5QRHAJEBEDTYE4MCWQA.jpg)
Texas court orders release of more than 200 migrants imprisoned in Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security clampdown
The men were arrested by state troopers and held for weeks without facing formal charges, a violation of state law. It’s the latest misfire in Abbott’s hastily assembled effort to involve Texas in patrolling the border.
Migrants arrested by Texas in border crackdown are being imprisoned for weeks without legal help or formal charges
Defense attorneys have started asking courts to set migrants free because local justice systems, overwhelmed by arrests under Gov. Greg Abbott's border security push, are routinely violating state law and constitutional due process rights.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/J2CFYDQEQZEPFAHNETNFKEHCCI.jpg)
After a Texas prosecutor dismissed dozens of migrant trespassing cases, some men were dropped at a border bus station
Officials said immigration authorities weren’t interested in taking migrants who had no criminal conviction into federal custody. But without documentation, at least one newly released migrant soon found himself back in detention.
Thanks to local politics and a railroad, rural Kinney County accounts for most of Texas’ migrant arrests
Under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security push, Texas state police have arrested hundreds of migrants in the conservative county, usually after spotting them on cargo trains or walking remote ranch lands. Sent to a state prison retooled as an immigration jail, many men were left without lawyers for weeks.
An 18-year-old Venezuelan was among the first set free from Texas’ new jail for migrants. No one knew what to do with him.
After more than three weeks in jail, a trespassing charge against the man was dropped because state troopers shouldn’t have arrested him under Gov. Greg Abbott’s border security push. He wound up in bureaucratic limbo for days as federal agencies passed the responsibility for resolving his immigration status.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/XQSX4ZVTLZANTOBMUX32M2TBJ4.jpg)
The first migrants arrested in Gov. Greg Abbott's border crackdown have served their time. Federal officials will decide what happens next.
The Texas governor has derided federal immigration policy as "catch and release." But unless federal authorities now take them into custody, the migrants Abbott ordered state troopers to arrest could soon be freed.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/6LNV6GGBG5HCBDS7LSFFCYV3BQ.jpg)
California monolith pops up after finds in Utah, Romania
FILE - In this Nov. 27, 2020, file photo, a metal structure sticks out from the ground on the Batca Doamnei hill, outside Piatra Neamt, northern Romania. Its straight sides and height appear similar to one discovered in the Utah desert and another that was found in Romania. The 3-sided, 10-foot-tall, 200-pound monolith was similar to two others discovered recently in the Utah desert and in Romania. Video posted online showed a group of young men wearing night-vision goggles toppling what appears to be the monolith before dawn while chanting “Christ is king” and “America First." Federal and state officials in Utah had also expressed concern about the area around the monolith being overrun.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ZUHCP5A335GBJEIPTSG3AUDA3E.jpg)
Mysterious silver monolith disappears from Utah desert
The Utah Department of Public Safety said biologists spotted the monolith on Nov. 18, a report that garnered international attention. While Utah officials did not say specifically where the monolith was located, people soon found it on satellite images dating back to 2016 and determined its GPS coordinates, prompting people to hike into the area. Reporters with The Salt Lake Tribune hiked to the spot on Saturday and confirmed that it was gone. “This was just a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we couldn't miss out,” Marino told KUTV. On the way, they passed a long-bed truck with a large object in the back and he said he joked “oh look, there's the Utah monolith right there,” he said.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/C464HVQ57FFMNP6FYW2IL4YOX4.jpg)
Galveston man charged after man found dead along I-10 in Wallisville, officials say
GALVESTON, Texas – A Galveston man is now charged with murder after another man was found dead with a gunshot wound in Wallisville Monday, authorities said. Galveston police found Allen at a 69th Street apartment in Galveston County. He was eventually arrested and booked into the Chambers County Jail. “I appreciate the tireless efforts and continued hard work and dedication of our detectives in solving crimes in Chambers County. Special thanks to the Galveston Police Department for their steadfast assistance during this investigation, as well as the Department of Public Safety for their assistance at the crime scene,” said Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/PBU4PKNAWBGZHHJ762HU2HBCCY.jpg)
South Dakota agency: AG reported hitting deer, but hit man
– South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg reported hitting a deer with his car on Saturday night but actually killed a pedestrian whose body was not found until the next day, state investigators said Monday. The Department of Public Safety issued a statement Monday that said only that Ravnsborg told the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office that he had hit a deer. Tony Mangan, a spokesman for the department, would not confirm whether Ravnsborg called 911, saying it is part of the ongoing investigation. The pedestrian, who was identified as 55-year-old Joseph Boever, was not found until Sunday morning, according to the department. Boever told his cousin that he had been reaching for some tobacco.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/7NUMBRHSJ5BWHOFUZSH6GBNAEI.jpg)
DPS to increase law enforcement during Labor Day weekend
AUSTIN, Texas Whether youre just driving around town or traveling this Labor Day, the Texas Department of Public Safety encourages all drivers to practice safe driving habits and exercise caution throughout the holiday weekend. Beginning Friday through Monday, the Texas Highway Patrol will increase its enforcement on Texas roads. DPS reminds all travelers to be responsible and practice safe driving habits this Labor Day, said DPS Director Steven McCraw. DPS enforcement efforts also resulted in 489 DWI arrests, 358 fugitive arrests and 354 felony arrests. Drivers are encouraged to follow these safety tips during the Labor Day weekend:
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/08-13-2020/t_92fae48d8a204b3e9ec104d973b33ec3_name_image.jpg)
Texans face delays of weeks, months to renew drivers licenses
HOUSTON – Driver license offices in Texas are back open for business. However, if you are trying to book an appointment, the earliest available may be weeks or even months away. Margo Shea’s Wednesday afternoon appointment at the South Gessner Road office in Houston was booked about two months ago. When we checked for appointments for a new driver’s license, the earliest we found in the Houston area was Sept. 8 at the southeast office on Galveston Road. Madeleine Gibson, 17, said she made an appointment for a state ID about two months ago.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/TCZESGOKSNDVDDC3MJRIS4PKAA.png)
Device called The Grappler being used to help end car chases
PHOENIX Department of Public Safety troopers in Arizona said they used a new device called The Grappler to help successfully end a high-speed chase in June. Troopers said they used it on June 28 to stop an erratic driver on State Route 202, according to FOX 10 News. End of East Valley chase caught on camera CAUGHT ON CAMERA: DPS officials say back in June, their officers used a device called "The Grappler" to end a chase involving a person who was driving erratically. Officials released details on the chase today, and say this is the first time they managed to use The Grappler successfully to end a chase. This device positively impacts the safety of troopers, the public and suspects, helping to end pursuits as safely as possible.Do you think this device should be used in Texas next?
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/VTJU2PO7LZBHLPJ24KT3KXT4CU.jpg)
Tomball man killed in plane crash in east Texas
HOUSTON An investigation is underway after a Tomball man was killed in a plane crash, according to officials. The crash happened Saturday near a private landing strip in Zavalla, which in east Texas. The Department of Public Safety said the 40-year-old man has been identified as James Duke Vanlue. Officials said Vanlue was flying from Tomball to Zavalla and crashed after clipping some trees near the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/GOSMO27LMJDYHGG4YLNLA3I43E.jpg)
Inside Texas cold cases: A young Japanese student strangled, her body burned just hours after partying with friends
SEGUIN, Texas – Texas has its share of homicide cases that have gone cold. KPRC 2 is taking a look back at both the solved and unsolved cases featured by the Texas Department of Public Safety to acknowledge the ability to solve cold cases and perhaps seek justice in cases that remain cold. READ MORE Inside Texas Cold Cases: Solved -- Eglena Diaz DeLeonWHAT HAPPENEDOn Dec. 13, 2002, the Texas Lutheran University student celebrated the end of her school term with a small group of friends at her Seguin apartment into the wee hours of the following morning. “This is far from a cold case, and I won’t let it become a cold case. It’s almost like they’re a family member to you.”If you have any information on this case, submit a tip through the Texas Rangers’ Cold Case website or call 1-800-346-3243.