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El Paso County attorneys say DPS pursuit policy falls short after spike in dangerous chases
Summary
County Attorney Christina Sanchez and assistant Bernardo Cruz presented a county review finding a steep increase in Texas Department of Public Safety vehicle pursuits in El Paso County, many tied to traffic violations and reaching highway speeds; the court asked staff to return next week with legal options and possible policy steps.
County Attorney Christina Sanchez told the El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday that a county review and independent analysis found Texas Department of Public Safety vehicle pursuits in El Paso County are more frequent and more dangerous than local officials and residents expected.
The county review found a 625% rise in vehicle pursuits between 2022 and 2023 in data the county obtained from DPS, with most pursuits conducted by DPS and many ending in residential areas, near schools or in business parking lots. Assistant County Attorney Bernardo Cruz said 85% of pursuits began with traffic violations, nearly half reached speeds over 100 mph and many involved young drivers.
Why it matters: Commissioners and the county attorney framed the issue as a public-safety problem that affects bystanders, vulnerable vehicle passengers and law-enforcement officers alike. The court asked the county attorney’s office to return with legal options and to schedule further discussion next week rather than take immediate action in the meeting’s executive session.
The review and evidence: Cruz said the county obtained DPS records covering January 2018 through June 30, 2024, and reviewed more than 12,000 pursuit records, media reports, probable-cause affidavits and a consultant assessment of DPS policy. He said the county hired an outside expert to compare DPS guidelines with best-practice guidance from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and Department of Justice materials.
Key figures and concerns raised by the presenters and the expert include: - A 625% increase in DPS-logged pursuits from 2022 to 2023 in El Paso County; 97% of 2024 pursuits in the county dataset were attributed to DPS; the county had 182 pursuits on record for January–June 2024 alone. - About 85% of pursuits were initiated for traffic violations, not violent felonies; nearly 50% reached speeds over 100 mph and roughly 75% exceeded 80 mph. - Suspects skew young: 54% of drivers identified as suspects were under age 25 and 11% under 18; passengers included children as young as five in some incidents. - Many pursuits ended in collisions; the affidavit review found a 44% collision rate among a sampled set of chases.
Cruz and the expert concluded DPS’s pursuit policy is not aligned with PERF best practices and that the policy places excessive discretion with individual troopers, does not sufficiently prioritize public safety, and lacks robust use-of-force and alternative-tactics guidance, the county said. The presentation cited prior changes by federal agencies after high-profile incidents and noted Operation Lone Star’s increased DPS presence in the region as context for the rise in pursuits.
Reactions from commissioners: County Judge Ricardo Samaniego and several commissioners praised the county attorney’s work and said the data moves the debate beyond anecdote. Commissioner Jackie Butler and Commissioner Sergio Coronado recounted constituent complaints and incidents in their precincts, and Commissioner Stout urged the court to alert the state legislative delegation and seek meetings with DPS leadership.
Court direction: Commissioners did not adopt an ordinance or directive at the meeting. Instead, the court directed staff to bring the matter back next week for possible executive-session legal review under Texas Gov. Code §551.071 and to develop specific requests for DPS and for the county’s legislative delegation. Assistant County Attorney Bernardo Cruz said staff also would outline nonlegislative steps and policy changes the court could pursue.
What the county did not decide: The court did not order a change to DPS policy and did not instruct the county to withhold any cooperation from state law-enforcement agencies. Neither DPS nor state leadership presented during the session; the county’s remarks describe its review of DPS materials and selected affidavits and videos the county collected or that are public.
Looking ahead: Commissioners asked for a detailed legal briefing and suggested the county seek meetings with DPS leadership and state legislators to press for policy changes. Sanchez and Cruz said they will return with options, including potential legal remedies and model pursuit policies aligned with PERF guidance.
