The El Paso County Commissioners Court is drawing attention to high-speed chases through the county by the Texas Department of Public Safety, assigned as part of Operation Lone Star. “Our constituents need to be safe,” El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego said. “With the information we have, it is sufficient to know that we do not have a safe environment during these high speed pursuits. They need to change their policies.”
All five members of the Commissioners Court voted on Monday, Jan. 13, to send three proposals to the Texas Legislature to draw attention to these deadly chases. The proposals seek to modify the DPS’s policy and increase transparency and accountability for pursuits.
“It is the Texas Department of Public Safety,” David Stout, El Paso County Commissioner in Precinct 2, said. “They are supposed to be making our community safer, not less safe.”
The chases have been condemned at various levels, including from U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso.
“It’s important for everyone to understand how dangerous high-speed chases are in urban areas. That’s why most law enforcement agencies prohibit such chases in urban areas,” Escobar said on Tuesday, Jan. 7. “Unfortunately, the Texas Department of Public Safety is using high-speed chases on a regular basis. That puts everyday El Pasoans at a very high risk.”
The Customs and Border Protection agency puts tight restrictions on high-risk chases.
A screen shot of a video uploaded to social media appears to show a Texas Department of Public Safety officer crossing the international boundary on the Bridge of the Americas pursuing a vehicle. The officer appears to draw his weapon pointing it at the driver’s side then pulling the driver out as Mexican National Guard officers stand watching.
More: Texas DPS smuggler pursuit in El Paso ends with bystander dead, teen accused of murder
Failure to prioritize public safety
The commissioner’s action comes after the county commissioned an independent report from the El Paso County Attorney’s Office about high-speed chases. The report was presented before the commissioners on Jan. 6.
“The safety of our community, including bystanders and law enforcement officers, is our top priority,” said El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez in a press release. “We are calling on a change to DPS’s vehicle pursuit policy, to include common-sense solutions and easy to implement policies in order to enforce the law without needlessly putting lives at risk.” The report found that DPS standards were “inadequate” and failed to meet both local and national standards. The report specifically focused on the policy that governs pursuits, finding that the state pursuit policy fails to “prioritize public safety.”
More: Texas DPS migrant smuggler van chase tops 100 mph, ends in crash near UTEP
Texas DPS border chases rise under Operation Lone Star
High-speed chases have especially increased since Gov. Greg Abbott expanded Operation Lone Star into the El Paso area in 2022, which militarized the border.
High-speed chases have become a daily occurrence, according to the report. The number of high speed chases have been increasing, with 2023 seeing a 625% increase over the previous year.
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2024 – 182 chases (through June 2024)
These chases have occurred despite the sharp decrease in CBP encounters with migrants in the El Paso Sector.
DPS pursuits have resulted in crashes along the highways through the county and into New Mexico. These chases have also resulted in multiple deaths in the El Paso area in the last few years. “These high-speed pursuits are coming into our neighborhoods and bystanders are starting to be injured,” Commissioner Stout said. “I do not think it is conducive to public safety.”Jeff Abbott covers the border for The El Paso Times and can be reached at: jdabbott@gannett.com; @palabrasdeabajo on twitter or @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social on Bluesky
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso County officials push to curb Texas DPS high-speed chases