In 1935, the 44th Legislature (Senate Bill 146, Regular Session), responding to recommendations made in 1933 by the Joint Legislative Committee on Organization and Economy, created the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for the purpose of placing under a single jurisdiction the state's functions in crime prevention and traffic control programs. The original Department was composed of the Texas Rangers, removed from the Adjutant General's Department; the State Highway Patrol, taken from the State Highway Department; and the Headquarters Division, composed of the Bureau of Identification and Records, the Bureau of Intelligence, the Bureau of Communications, the Bureau of Education, and various administrative and service units. Other divisions were added in later years, as needed (see divisional descriptions). A Certificate of Title Division was created in 1939 (House Bill 407, 46th Legislature, Regular Session) and administered by DPS until its transfer to the Highway Department in 1941.

By 1956, the Department had reconstituted the Headquarters Division into a number of major divisions and had added several new divisions to create a total of fourteen, each of which was headed by a Chief who answered to the Director. To alleviate this unwieldy structure, the 55th Legislature authorized the reorganization of DPS (House Bill 325, Regular Session, 1957). The Department then created six regional commands, each headed by a senior officer who was placed in command of the region's Highway Patrol, License and Weight program, Motor Vehicle Inspection program, Drivers License program, Communications, and Safety Education Service. Each Regional Headquarters also contained a limited crime laboratory. The Texas Rangers were assigned to six companies, each headed by a captain, with the same boundaries as the regional commands. The Narcotics and Intelligence Sections operated state-wide out of the Austin headquarters. Supporting headquarters divisions, sections and bureaus were consolidated into four divisions: Identification and Criminal Records; Personnel and Staff Services; Driver and Vehicle Records; and the Inspection and Planning Division.

By this time DPS had evolved into the state police agency, charged with enforcing laws, preserving order, and protecting the rights, privileges, property, and well-being of Texas citizens. Its responsibilities fell into three major categories: crime suppression and control, motor vehicle highway transportation and management, and disaster and emergency activities. To meet these responsibilities, the Department's divisions operated the following programs: crime control, police traffic supervision, driver licensing, vehicle inspection, safety responsibility, accident records, safety education, disaster and emergency services, and police training. It enforced criminal laws in cooperation with local, federal, and other state law enforcement agencies.

As of 1970, the Department was again expanding, raising the number of major divisions to six, and controlling all of them from the headquarters in Austin. The regional plan for the field services, such as the Rangers, the Highway Patrol, etc. continued to be used.

In 1991, DPS assumed responsibility for security in the Austin Capitol Complex from the State Purchasing and General Services Commission.

By 1996, DPS had reverted back to a four division command structure, not including the Director's Staff. As of February 2000, it had five major divisions: Administrative, Criminal Law Enforcement, Drivers License, Texas Ranger, and Traffic Law Enforcement.

The policy making body of DPS is the three member Texas Public Safety Commission, appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate for overlapping six year terms. The positions are non-salaried and the governor appoints the chair. All members must have knowledge of the law, experience in law enforcement, honesty, integrity, education, and executive ability. The Commission appoints a Public Safety Director to serve as the executive officer of DPS.

Funding for the Department derives from the Operators and Chauffeurs License Fund, the Motor Vehicle Inspection Fund, and the State Highway Fund.

Related agencies and boards on which DPS officials have served include the Texas Traffic Safety Council, the State Defense and Disaster Relief Council, the Crime and Narcotics Advisory Commission, and the Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education.

Divisional Histories : (Dates after headings refer to the date at which the body was first created; most continue to the present day.)

The Texas Rangers, 1823(?) - The Texas Rangers began operating in roughly 1823 as a type of commissioned officer, neither police nor military, authorized to keep order throughout the state. Rangers typically operated against Indian and Mexican raiders, outlaws, feudists, rustlers, and rioters. The force was first given legal status in 1835, during the Texas Revolution, and it has existed under slightly varying laws ever since. In 1935 (Senate Bill 146, 44th Legislature, Regular Session), the Texas Rangers were removed from the oversight of the Adjutant General and incorporated into the Texas Department of Public Safety. Until at least the mid-1950s, the Rangers were listed under the Headquarters/Main Division in legislative appropriation bills, but later were split out as an independent division. For a period of time between 1968 and the 1990s, the Rangers were placed in the Criminal Law Enforcement Division. Rangers are specifically charged with protecting life and property, suppressing riots and insurrections, apprehending fugitives, and investigating major crimes. The Texas Ranger Division, thus, investigates major felony offenses (such as murder, robbery, and burglary), assists in the investigation of white-collar crime, oil-field equipment thefts, other major crimes, and assists in suppressing violent civil disturbances. Rangers usually enter investigations at the behest of local law enforcement agencies, usually in understaffed areas or in matters requiring statewide or inter-county cooperation.

The Texas Highway Patrol, 1929 - In 1927 the Legislature (House Bill 2, 40th Legislature, Regular Session), due to increasing problems with truck traffic, provided an appropriation for the Texas Highway Department to employ 20 license and weight inspectors and one chief inspector to enforce trucking regulations. In 1929, the Legislature expanded this group to 50, changed their name to the State Highway Patrol, and charged them with enforcing all laws relating to vehicles and their use on public highways. In 1931 the force was increased to 120. The 44th Legislature (Senate Bill 146, Regular Session, 1935) transferred the Patrol to the newly created Texas Department of Public Safety. The Patrol formed an independent division, though later it was moved into the Traffic Law Enforcement Division. The Texas Highway Patrol investigates rural traffic accidents, recovers stolen vehicle property, arrests wanted individuals, helps motorists in distress, interdicts illegal drugs on the state's highway system, and assists authorities during states of emergency. Though its primary responsibility is to enforce traffic regulations, patrol officers are authorized to make arrests for any violation of criminal statutes.

Headquarters/Main Division, 1935 - The Headquarters Division was created by the Legislature in 1935 (Senate Bill 146, 44th Legislature, Regular Session). The legislation mandated that it be composed of the Bureaus of Identification and Records, Communications, Intelligence, and Education. This division generally acted as an umbrella containing the Director's staff, the bureaus of Intelligence and Identification and Records, Accounting (formed in 1937), Communications, Narcotics, and Internal Security. The Bureau of Education, though technically assigned to this division, often appeared under the jurisdiction of the Highway Patrol Division in legislative appropriation bills. By 1950, Headquarters included: the Accounting Division with its four sections: Accounting, Multilith, Mimeograph and Vari-Type, and Stockroom; the Statistical Division; the bureaus of Identification and Records, Intelligence, Communications, and Education (with a Safety Section); and the License and Weight Division. Following the 1957 reorganization, the Headquarters Division was split apart. Some of these sections were recombined into the Personnel and Staff Services Division, while others were split out to form separate divisions. Headquarters may have been partially reconstituted as the Administrative Division by the 1990s.

Bureau of Identification and Records, 1935 - The chief of the Bureau of Identification and Records was to be appointed by the director with the advice and consent of the Public Safety Commission. The purpose of the Bureau was to procure and file all pertinent information on felons and habitual criminals. It also collected data on the number and nature of offenses, the legal steps taken in each instance, and all other relevant information. Additionally, it was responsible for the performance of ballistic and chemical tests on evidence. The University of Texas was to assist in the performance of these tests as needed. It was not until 1937 that a chemical laboratory, a photographic section, and a questioned documents section were created. The first polygraph machine was purchased in 1944, but a full-time examiner was not hired to operate it until 1949. This bureau worked closely with the Bureau of Intelligence.

Until 1957 the Bureau appears to have operated under the Headquarters/Main Division. Shortly after, however, it was either transferred to or became the foundation of the Identification and Criminal Records Division. This division incorporated: the fingerprint files; the records section; the modus operandi section (a filtering agency for all criminal intelligence available locally, statewide, and from the Federal Bureau of Investigation); the latent fingerprint section; the chemical laboratory; the polygraph section; the photography section; and the firearms (ballistics) section. By 1970, toxicology and tool-mark identification had been added. During 1967-1968 a terminal was set up in this division connecting it to the National Crime Information Center, a computer center at the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Washington D.C. By 1972, the Division contained separate Modus Operandi and Fingerprints and Records Bureaus.

After the mid-1970s, the Division was broken into various parts. The Crime Records Service, that maintained the fingerprint and criminal record files, operated the Texas Crime Information Center, coordinated the statewide Uniform Crime Reporting Program, and administered the concealed handgun license program, was transferred to the Administrative Division. Two other sections, the Polygraph Service and the Crime Laboratory Service, became incorporated into the Criminal Law Enforcement Division.

Bureau of Communications, 1935 - The Bureau of Communications was originally led by the Chief of the Highway Motor Patrol, though the 1937 Legislature mandated that the Chief be appointed by the Director (House Bill 774, 45th Legislature, Regular Session). It was to install and operate a police radio broadcasting system, to establish and operate a state roads blockade system, and to cooperate in the exchange of information with other federal and local law enforcement organizations. Appropriations were not made to this bureau until September of 1947. The 1957 reorganization seems to have left Communications as an independent bureau, maintaining 24-hour-a-day communication links between DPS headquarters and the field commands. The Bureau also provided the statewide communications system mandated by the Civil Protection Act of 1951 (House Bill 784, 52nd Legislature, Regular Session), operating in conjunction with the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization to provide warnings in case of enemy attack, and in cases of natural disaster. By 1996, the Bureau had been incorporated into the Emergency Management Service, which itself fell under the Administrative Division.

Bureau of Intelligence, 1935 - The Bureau of Intelligence was led by the Senior Captain of the Texas Rangers (though the 1937 Legislature mandated that the chief be appointed by the Director (House Bill 774, 45th Legislature, Regular Session)). The Bureau's purpose was to accumulate and analyze information of crime activities in the state and to make that information available to the DPS and local police and law enforcement agencies. This bureau worked closely with the Bureau of Identification and Records.

Internal Security, a related, independent section, was created in 1951 to meet the enforcement clause of the Texas Communist Control Law requiring all Communists to register with DPS. The law was later found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. In 1957, the name of the unit was changed to the Intelligence Section, it was attached to the Director's Staff, and its jurisdiction was expanded to include criminal intelligence and special investigations. (The section either was absorbed by or took the place of the Intelligence Bureau.) The Section was specifically charged with informing the director of any and all matters directly or indirectly affecting the present and future welfare of the state and nation. Particular emphasis was placed on subversive activities, organized crime, and vice. The service also maintained records and acted as liaison with local, state, and federal law enforcement authorities. By 1996 it was known as the Criminal Intelligence Service and was responsible for investigating organized crime, criminal violations, and horse and dog racetracks, and running the Missing Persons Clearinghouse. As of February 2000 it was placed within the Criminal Law Enforcement Division.

Bureau of Education, 1935 - The Bureau of Education was led by the Assistant Director of DPS (though the 1937 Legislature mandated that the Chief be appointed by the Director (House Bill 774, 45th Legislature, Regular Session)). The Bureau was to organize training facilities and teach schools for the members of the Department and for other peace officers, to instruct them in the duties and functions of the Department. The Bureau was also to teach selected county and municipal peace officers and to educate citizens in matters of public safety and crime prevention and detection. The Adjutant General was to provide the buildings, land, and equipment in Camp Mabry. The University of Texas was to assist in the organization and instruction of classes as needed. In spite of its nominal placement under the Headquarters Division, legislative appropriation bills listed the Bureau under the Highway Patrol for many years. By 1996 this bureau seems to have been incorporated into Staff Support Service under the Administrative Division.

Drivers License Division, 1936 - The original drivers license law took effect on February 14, 1936 (Senate Bill 15, 44th Legislature, Second Called Session, 1935), requiring each driver to possess a license issued by the Department or by the County Tax Collector. In 1937 (House Bill 16, 45th Legislature, Regular Session) DPS took full responsibility for all the functions concerning the licensing of drivers. By 1950, the Drivers License Division gave tests to applicants for original licenses, examined those with suspended licenses, issued renewals, and analyzed records of careless/reckless drivers as a basis for suspension or cancellation. The Division maintained an examining service in each of the 254 county seats, and in the larger cities. After the 1957 reorganization, the Division's name was changed to Drivers License Service. As of February 2000 the Division oversaw the issuance of Texas driver's licenses and identification cards, maintained driver record files, administered all driving examinations, and coordinates services related to driver improvement, safety responsibility, and customer service. Prior to 1970, the Division was placed under the Traffic Law Enforcement Division, where it remained until the late 1990s, when it was again made an independent division.

The Accident Records Section of the Drivers License Division was expanded and made a separate entity in 1941, to meet the requirements of the compulsory accident reporting law enacted by the Legislature (House Bill 20, 47th Legislature, Regular Session, 1941). This was replaced by the Statistical Division, created in 1946, which was responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information on traffic accidents and causes, remaining compliant with accident reporting laws and collecting statistics for all other DPS functions. After 1957, this division was incorporated into the Personnel and Staff Services Division.

Driver and Vehicle Records Division, post-1957 - After the 1957 reorganization (certainly by 1962-1963) a separate division for driver record-keeping seems to have been created. It was divided into four bureaus: License Issuance and Driver Records; Driver Improvement and Control; Safety Responsibility; and Motor Vehicle Inspection Records. By 1970, a fifth bureau, Driver Training Records, had been added, though it was renamed the Vehicle Inspection and Driver Training Records Bureau by 1972. By 1996, the service had become known as the Drivers Licensing and Control Service, and was placed under the Administrative Division, though by 1999 it seems to have been reincorporated into the once again independent Drivers License Division.

Motor Vehicle Inspection, 1951 - The Motor Vehicle Inspection Act (House Bill 223, 52nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1951) went into effect on September 7, 1951 and DPS was charged with administering the program. DPS was to set up state-appointed inspection stations to inspect all vehicles to be registered in Texas and to establish vehicle safety standards in the hope of preventing accidents. It appears to have been an independent division until the 1957 reorganization, when it (or at least its record-keeping function) was incorporated into the Driver and Vehicle Records Division. Prior to 1970, this service was moved to the Traffic Law Enforcement Division.

Safety Responsibility, 1952 - The Safety Responsibility Act (House Bill 219, 52nd Legislature, Regular Session, 1951), requiring owners and operators of motor vehicles to be financially able to pay for damages to others, took effect on January 1, 1952. The program was administered by DPS as a separate division until the 1957 reorganization, when it was incorporated into the Driver and Vehicle Records Division.

Narcotics Section, 1937 - Personnel began to be assigned to enforce narcotics laws in September 1937 to comply with the Uniform Narcotic Drug Act (House Bill 440, 45th Legislature, Regular Session, 1937). Narcotics consisted of a supervisory agent, seven regular agents, and was charged with the discovery and control of narcotics traffic and drug addicts. The section was not heavily used until 1953, at which point it had only three agents and one supervisor. By 1959, it had an Agent-in-Charge, three supervisors, and nine agents. The Section worked against both the supply and demand for illegal drugs, largely through undercover operations with local authorities. It also conducted educational programs and schools for peace officers. By 1996, Narcotics had been placed under the Criminal Law Enforcement Division. It continued to combat illegal drug trafficking and abuse by gathering information, making arrests, and seizing illegal drugs, and to offer specialized drug training schools to state and local law enforcement officers. It also registered licensed practitioners and pharmacies authorized to handle controlled substances, managed the state's Triplicate Prescription Program, and served as the coordinator for the Texas Narcotics Information System.

License and Weight Division, 1939 - By 1939, the License and Weight Division appears to have been an independent division. Its primary function was, and remains, to check all commercial vehicle traffic to ensure compliance with the provisions of laws regulating weight, registration, and the transportation of persons or property for hire. Personnel of the division have joint responsibility with the Highway Patrol to enforce traffic laws on commercial vehicle traffic and on all other vehicular traffic when necessary. Prior to 1970, this Division was placed under the Traffic Law Enforcement Division.

The Motor Carrier Lease Section, mandated by the 1953 law requiring any lease, memorandum, or agreement concerning the operation of commercial motor vehicles to be filed with DPS, was originally placed under the License and Weight Division. Following the 1957 reorganization, the Section was made an independent section, located at Headquarters and operating under the supervision of an agent-in-charge. The independent section bore the responsibility of both administering the lease law in regard to motor vehicles and truck tractors and processing and recording all the license and weight reports regarding the regulations governing the transportation of persons or property for hire. The Section acted as a liaison between DPS, the Attorney General, the Motor Carrier Division of the Railroad Commission, and the Highway Department. By 1996, if the service still existed, it was no longer independently discussed.

Office of Defense and Disaster Relief/Civil Defense and Disaster Relief/Division of Defense and Disaster Relief, 1951 - The passage of the Civil Protection Act of 1951 (House Bill 784, 52nd Texas Legislature, Regular Session) authorized the Governor to appoint a defense and disaster relief council, on which the Director of the DPS served. The work of the Council was carried out by the Office of Defense and Disaster Relief, a branch of the Governor's Executive Office. In 1963 the Governor appointed the Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety to head the Division of Defense and Disaster Relief, established in DPS to carry out the work of this council. In addition to a central office in Austin, sixteen defense and disaster relief district organizations were maintained, with headquarters in regional Highway Patrol offices, to manage relief efforts locally. Operational activities originated with local officials who called upon successively higher levels as needed, up to the inter-state level. A State Disaster Control Center was in the Department of Public Safety Building in Austin and operated 24 hours a day when a disaster struck. The Division was also involved with national defense matters coming to the attention of the Governor, training and education, and administering financial assistance programs to state agencies and local governments on a grant or matching fund basis. By 1970, the Division was also responsible, under the State Emergency Operations Plan, for police service, communications, and emergency public information. The Disaster Control Center seems to have been renamed the State Emergency Operating Center. In 1973 the Texas Disaster Act (Senate Bill 786, 63rd Texas Legislature, Regular Session) broadened the Division's functions, and the Governor again appointed the DPS Director to head the Division of Disaster Emergency Services. By 1983, the division had been renamed the Division of Emergency Management

By 1996, this division had evolved into the Emergency Management Service, located in the State Emergency Operating Center to coordinate relief and recovery operations for all disasters. The staff leads the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Program and operates the DPS Communications Bureau. The Service was placed in the Administrative Division.

Personnel and Staff Services Division, 1957 - Created following the 1957 reorganization, the Division contained five Bureaus: Personnel and Training, managing personnel and conducting training and education programs for DPS and local officers; Statistical Services (formerly the Statistical Division), compiling data on crimes, accidents, and departmental activities; General Office Services; Fleet Operations; and the Physical Plant. By 1964, the Division administered all of DPS's personnel and training programs at the Department's Law Enforcement Academy in Austin. The composition of this division remained fairly stable through the 1970s, but was dismantled, with its elements incorporated into other branches, by 1996.

Inspection and Planning Division, 1957 - Inspection and Planning was charged with developing and inspecting all programs carried on by DPS and ensuring that DPS activities were executed in compliance with established policies and approved methods. It served as a special staff to the Director. During the 1958-1960 biennium, members of the division advised and assisted field commanders, taught in training courses, made addresses, revised the reports of all field services, developed performance standards/measures for field program activities, made plans for modifications at major radio installations, developed future projections, assisted in developing Civil Defense organizations and operating procedures, and planned and executed numerous pilot studies. By 1964, the division maintained a safety education library and coordinated the fleet safety program. This division was incorporated into the Administrative Division by 1996.

Safety Education Service, pre-1957? - The Service was established to carry out the specific provisions of the DPS founding legislation, which made DPS responsible for the education of citizens in matters of public safety. Personnel acted as liaisons between the DPS and public schools, government agencies, and industrial and civic programs in coordinating public safety programs. Additionally, staff took part in general DPS activities such as providing assistance, issuing warnings, and making arrests. By 1964, the Service provided statewide programs of public education relating to traffic accidents, crime, and preparation for civil defense, disaster relief, and rehabilitation. Prior to 1970, this service was placed under the Traffic Law Enforcement Division.

Data Processing Division, 1968 - The Division was created in 1968 to provide for the design, procurement, installation, operation and administration of a computer system. Initial activities involved the computerization of drivers' records maintained by the Driver and Vehicle Records Division, with similar plans in the works for criminal records, stolen property files, and modus operandi files. By 1996 it had been incorporated into the Administrative Division. By 1999 the Division was renamed the Information Management Service.

Traffic Law Enforcement Division, pre-1970 - Prior to 1970, DPS field services were divided into two divisions: Traffic Law Enforcement and Criminal Law Enforcement. Traffic Law Enforcement operated through the six regional offices to enforce federal, state, and county traffic laws on rural Texas highways. Originally, this division contained the Texas Highway Patrol, the License and Weight Service, the Motor Vehicle Inspection Service, the Drivers License Service, and the Safety Education Service. By 1999, the composition of the unit had not changed.

Criminal Law Enforcement Division, 1968 - Prior to 1970, DPS field services were divided into two divisions: Criminal Law Enforcement (created in 1968) and Traffic Law Enforcement. Criminal Law Enforcement was created to direct and coordinate the operations of the State's crime control forces. The Division encouraged closer liaisons with municipal and county officials, and made plans in conjunction with local authorities in areas where rioting and other disturbances were considered likely. It originally contained the Texas Rangers (with their 6 regional divisions), the Intelligence Section, and the Narcotics Section. As of February 2000 the division was responsible for conducting criminal investigations and cooperating with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. It incorporates the Crime Laboratory Service, the Motor Vehicle Theft Service, the Narcotics Service, the Polygraph Service, and the Special Crimes Service (renamed from the Intelligence Section). By 1999, the Texas Rangers again had been made an independent division.

Administrative Division, 1970s - This division first appeared sometime after the mid-1970s. By 1996, it incorporated Crime Records, Data Processing, the Driver Licensing and Control Service, the Inspection and Planning Service, the Emergency Management Service, and the Staff Support Service. As of February 2000 it incorporated the Crime Records Service, the Emergency Management Service, the Information Management Service (probably renamed from Data Processing), the Inspection and Planning Service, and the Staff Support Service.

Director's Staff - By 1964, the Director's Staff, a type of overarching administrative umbrella which seems to have been referred to as a separate unit since perhaps the 1957 reorganization, consisted of the Assistant Director, the chiefs of the headquarters divisions and sections, the Administrative Assistant, the Public Information Officer, the Accounting and Budget Control Officer, the Communications Control Officer, and the Agents-In-Charge of the Intelligence, Narcotics, and Motor-Carrier-Lease Sections. Though the composition of the Staff changed over time as the DPS reorganized, it continued to contain the upper administrative staff. By the 1990s, it also included Internal Affairs, Internal Audit, Legal Services, and the Aircraft Section.