OPERATION STRONG SAFETY REPORT HIGHLIGHTS CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, VULNERABILITIES ALONG BORDER PROVIDES RECOMMENDATIONS TO TEXAS LEADERS
Tue, 2015-03-10 20:02
News Staff
AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) released an unclassified version this week of the Operation Strong Safety (OSS) report that was submitted to the 84th Texas Legislature
and Office of the Governor as required by the Texas Leadership. In June 2014, the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House of Representatives directed DPS to launch Operation Strong Safety to combat the criminal elements exploiting the Texas- Mexico border. The operation – which integrates local, state, and federal ground, marine, air, and tactical border security
assets around-the-clock in the area of operation – remains ongoing today at the direction of state leaders.
“DPS is responsible for protecting and serving the people of Texas, and we are grateful for the Texas Leadership and Legislature’s continued support for our officers who put their lives on the line every day to carry out that mission,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “We are
proud of the efforts of our law enforcement partners at every level who are working to combat the criminal elements at our border, and DPS will continue to follow the direction of our state leaders in that effort.” The OSS report was developed in response to a directive by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the House of Representatives to detail how the operation was executed and its impact. The report also includes recommendations for continued efforts to secure the Texas-Mexico border. The Texas Legislature and Leadership will ultimately determine the next steps the state will take with respect to border security efforts.
Findings of the report include:
• In FY 2014, the number of apprehensions in the Rio Grande Valley reached its highest level since records are available beginning in 1960. Since the launch of OSS in June 2014, the number of illegal alien apprehensions in the OSS area of operation has fallen sharply. This trend marks a sharp contrast to the increase that had been trending before OSS. After the first week of the operation, there were 6,606 illegal alien apprehensions in the area of operation. By week 11, the numbers had decreased below 2,000 and have consistently remained low through week 28.
• OSS-related drug seizures have totaled more than 180 tons of illegal drugs that had been smuggled across the border and were destined to be distributed throughout the state and nation
“When drugs and people are being smuggled across the border undetected or without being interdicted, it is clear that the border is not secure.”
• The OSS report also outlines – and includes recommendations related to – multiple issues, including the importance of moving to a border security strategy that will enable law enforcement to detect and interdict all smuggling events along the border. “When drugs and peopleare being smuggled across the border undetected or without being interdicted, it is clear that the border is not secure,” said Director McCraw. “Therefore, any time law enforcement interdicts a smuggling attempt, we consider it a significant gain in the fight against ruthless criminal organizations and their pursuit to make money.”
“That said, in order to accurately and completely assess the true level of security between the ports of entry, law enforcement must be able to detect ALL smuggling events and determine whether each smuggling event was interdicted,” Director McCraw continued. “In other words, the true interdiction rate along the border can only be determined once law enforcement can detect 100 percent of all smuggling attempts.” To view the entire unclassified version of the Operation Strong Safety report, visit: http://dps. texas.gov/PublicInformation/ documents/operationStrongSafetyRpt. pdf