DPS reports success in Houston repeat-offenders task force, plans expansion to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas

The Department of Public Safety told the Public Safety Commission that a repeat-offenders task force operating in Harris County has produced substantial arrests and seizures and will be expanded to Austin, San Antonio and Dallas.

Colonel Martin said the program, run out of the Texas anti-gang center, pairs analyst-driven targeting with proactive patrols and traffic enforcement. He reported that, in a recent period, the task force arrested 338 repeat offenders and that DPS personnel in the Houston area made an additional 184 arrests. The presentation also included counts of high-threat arrests, drug seizures and weapons seized.

Martin said the program uses data analysis to prioritize violent repeat offenders who cycle through the criminal justice system, and that the initiative has been bolstered by recent legislative changes intended to help prosecutors and keep violent offenders in custody when appropriate.

"We started this program. It's been highly successful," Martin said, adding that the Department is coordinating with local law enforcement agencies and the governor's office to replicate the model in other metro areas.

Commissioners were told the task force involves multiple DPS divisions including aircraft, crime lab, crime records, homeland security and highway patrol, and that the Department will report back with more updates at subsequent meetings as the expansion proceeds.

The commission did not take separate action on the report; the update was provided as part of the director's report.