Brazos Children's Center

The Texas Department of Public Safety is an agency created to provide public safety services to people in the state of Texas by enforcing laws, administering regulatory programs, maintaining records, educating the public and managing emergencies, both directly and through interaction with other agencies. Created in 1935 by the legislature, its administration division operates the DPS Training Academy, collects crime data, and maintains fingerprint files and crime records. The department s criminal law enforcement division works toward preventing, suppressing, and solving crime in cooperation with city, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Its emergency management division conducts a comprehensive emergency management program that includes pre and post-disaster mitigation of known hazards to reduce their impact; preparedness activities, such as emergency planning, training and exercises; provisions for effective response to emergency situations; and recovery programs for major disasters. The Texas Highway Patrol Division of the Texas Department of Public Safety is responsible for general police traffic supervision, traffic and criminal law enforcement on the rural highways of Texas.