Texas Highway Patrol
Encyclopedia
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
. The Division's goal is to help maintain public safety
through the efficient and effective administration of the division's various programs.
Division Troopers enforce traffic laws
on rural Texas highways
and perform a variety of other duties:
The causes of death are as follows:
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...
and has the responsibility for general police traffic supervision, traffic, and criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
enforcement on the rural highways of 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...
. The Division's goal is to help maintain public safety
Public Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
through the efficient and effective administration of the division's various programs.
Duties
Highway PatrolHighway patrol
A highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
Division Troopers enforce traffic laws
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
on rural Texas highways
Texas state highways
Texas state highways are a network of highways owned and maintained by the U.S. state of Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation is the state agency responsible for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the system. In addition to the nationally-numbered Interstate highways and U.S...
and perform a variety of other duties:
- Apprehend traffic law violators, investigate most rural traffic accidentsCar accidentA traffic collision, also known as a traffic accident, motor vehicle collision, motor vehicle accident, car accident, automobile accident, Road Traffic Collision or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other stationary obstruction,...
, recover stolen vehicles and stolen property, apprehend wanted persons, and assist other officers during emergencies. - Supervise the State Vehicle InspectionVehicle inspectionVehicle inspection is a procedure mandated by national or subnational governments in many countries, in which a vehicle is inspected to ensure that it conforms to regulations governing safety, emissions, or both. Inspection can be required at various times, e.g., periodically or on transfer of...
Program which includes inspection stations and mechanic inspectors. - Provide education and information programs on traffic safetyRoad-traffic safetyThe term road traffic safety is about the risk of a person being killed or seriously injured while using the road network as a pedestrian, cyclist, motorist or user of on road public transport...
and crime preventionCrime preventionCrime prevention is the attempt to reduce victimization and to deter crime and criminals. It is applied specifically to efforts made by governments to reduce crime, enforce the law, and maintain criminal justice.-Studies:...
and control. - Responsible for security at the Texas State CapitolTexas State CapitolThe Texas State Capitol is located in Austin, Texas, and is the fourth building to be the house of Texas government in Austin. It houses the chambers of the Texas Legislature and the office of the governor of Texas. It was designed originally during 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, and was...
Complex in Austin. - Enforce laws regulating weight, registration and other regulations governing commercial carriers.
- Driver License Division Troopers license and rehabilitate Texas drivers.
- Oversee Hazardous Materials incidents
Demographics
- Male: 95%
- Female: 5%
- White: 66%
- Hispanic: 22%
- African-American/Black: 11%
- Asian: 1%
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Highway Patrol, 82 officers have died in the line of duty.The causes of death are as follows:
| Cause of death | Number of deaths |
|---|---|
| Automobile accident | |
| Gunfire | |
| Gunfire (Accidental) | |
| Heart attack | |
| Motorcycle accident | |
| Struck by train | |
| Struck by vehicle | |
| Training accident | |
| Vehicle pursuit | |
| Vehicular assault | |
| Weather/Natural disaster | |
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Texas
- State policeState policeState police are a type of sub-national territorial police force, particularly in Australia and the United States. Some other countries have analogous police forces, such as the provincial police in some Canadian provinces, while in other places, the same responsibilities are held by national...
- State patrol
- Highway patrolHighway patrolA highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...