Texas Capitol Police
Encyclopedia
The Texas Capitol Police (or properly, Region VII - Capitol of the Texas Highway Patrol
) provide law enforcement and security for state property within the Texas
Capitol Complex. The Department of Public Safety
assumed the responsibilities of the Capitol Police
by legislative mandate in 1991. The previous Capitol Police department was a division of the State Purchasing and General Services Commission. The first DPS Capitol Police recruits graduated from the Training Academy in 1993. The first Capitol Police officers commissioned by DPS were not given the full recruit school training that Highway Patrol recruits received and were not initially eligible to transfer outside of the Capitol Police without first attending a DPS Recruit Academy. This has changed and DPS Capitol is now considered a DPS Region that troopers transfer in and out of in comparison to other regions.
Officers are assigned to one of 4 areas:
Texas Highway Patrol
The Texas Highway Patrol is a division of the Texas Department of Public Safety and has the responsibility for general police traffic supervision, traffic, and criminal law enforcement on the rural highways of Texas...
) provide law enforcement and security for state property within the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Capitol Complex. The Department of Public Safety
Texas Department of Public Safety
The Texas Department of Public Safety is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The DPS is responsible for statewide law enforcement and vehicle regulation. The Public Safety Commission oversees the DPS. Its five members are appointed by the Governor of Texas and confirmed by the...
assumed the responsibilities of the Capitol Police
Capitol police
Capitol police in the United States are agencies charged with the provision of security police services for various state agencies, but especially State Legislatures. Capitol police may function as part of the state police or may be an independent agency...
by legislative mandate in 1991. The previous Capitol Police department was a division of the State Purchasing and General Services Commission. The first DPS Capitol Police recruits graduated from the Training Academy in 1993. The first Capitol Police officers commissioned by DPS were not given the full recruit school training that Highway Patrol recruits received and were not initially eligible to transfer outside of the Capitol Police without first attending a DPS Recruit Academy. This has changed and DPS Capitol is now considered a DPS Region that troopers transfer in and out of in comparison to other regions.
Officers are assigned to one of 4 areas:
- The Capitol Detail, which provides security at the Capitol, Capitol Extension and grounds;
- Police and Security Operations, which provides police patrol and building security at other locations not covered by the Capitol Detail;
- Special Police Operations, which provides criminal investigations, parking administration, research, training and budget management, and communications.
- Protection Detail, which provides protection for high-ranking state officials, such as the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the House.