Texas’ top law enforcement agency, which has been criticized for numerous problems including staffing levels when the governor’s mansion was set on fire, is in need of a major overaul, according to a report released Oct. 31.
The 10-week study on the Texas Department of Public Safety, commissioned by the state, was conducted by international management and consulting firm Deloitte Consulting. It identified significant problems in DPS’ organization, business processes and information systems.
“The recommendations call for a fundamental makeover of the Department,” Drew Beckley, principal of Deloitte Consulting wrote to Allan Polunsky, chairman of the Texas Public Safety Commission that oversees DPS. Polunsky said DPS will implement significant changes, although it will take several years.
The study is in response to a variety of woes, including an arson fire that nearly destroyed the Governor’s Mansion in June. It was later revealed that there were too few guards and malfunctioning security equipment at the site.
A legislative report this year outlined many problems that were mentioned in the study, including the handling of driver’s licenses and vehicle inspections, inadequate technology, and communications in the event of a possible terror attack.
DPS director Col. Tommy Davis retired Aug. 31.
The DPS is a billion dollar agency with more than 8,000 employees, nearly half of them law enforcement officers. Consultants interviewed almost 400 DPS workers and others for the report.
Their recommendations call for the combining all DPS law enforcement divisions under a single deputy director and deploying them across the state through a new regional command structure.
The study also suggests establishing a new organization for intelligence and counterterrorism, focused on information sharing and intelligence-led policing. A director in charge of human resources will improve recruitment and retention, and more infrastructures and information systems also are needed, the report said.
Also, the report suggested overhauling financial processes and systems, and organizing all licensing and regulation functions under a single deputy director. DPS’ duties include driver licensing, vehicle inspection and concealed handgun licensing.
Topics Texas
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