DPS Chaparral

Produced by DPS Public Information, (512) 424-2080

February 1999

Dear Fellow Employees:

I told you 1999 would be a busy year.

We opened our Sex Offender Registration database Web site on January 11 and then announced the new site two days later at a well-attended Capitol press conference. We appreciate the Legislative support that made this and our criminal conviction database possible. (See related story.)

On Jan. 19, the DPS handled the security for the inauguration of Gov. George W. Bush and Lt. Gov. Rick Perry. Many of you were involved in that successful operation and I want you to know I appreciate your hard work. Your effort is just one more example of the professionalism of this agency. With former President Bush on hand for his son's swearing in ceremonies, the whole world was watching. You did the DPS proud.

Three days after the inauguration, 140 men and women — our largest class ever — graduated from the DPS Training Academy. Many of you, I'm sure, will be with the agency well into the first three decades of the 21st century. You're the future of this agency, and we're counting on you. All of us in the DPS family appreciate your skill and perseverance in completing one of the best courses of law enforcement instruction in the nation.

Sex offender database now available on Internet

By Mike Cox

Anyone worried whether a convicted sex offender lives in the neighborhood can now access the Texas Sex Offender Registration database through the Department of Public Safety’s sexual offender and criminal conviction Web site — http://records.txdps.state.tx.us.

On-line access to the sex offender data, which the DPS first began collecting in 1991, began in mid January. (In 1997, legislation required some people convicted of certain sexual offenses committed as early as 1970 to register. Those offenders also are included in the database.) The data is available through the same site the DPS maintains for criminal conviction data, which also is public under state law. That database has been accessible on-line since May 1998.

"What this means to our citizens is easier access than ever before to information that can give an indication of the relative safety of a neighborhood in terms of potential sex crimes. It also can aid employers, schools and youth-oriented organizations in identifying sexual predators," said Col. Dudley M. Thomas. "This system, made possible by legislation sponsored in 1997 by Rep. Ray Allen and Sen. Buster Brown, is yet another high-tech tool that will help make Texas an even safer place to live."

The sexual offender database currently includes the names of some 15,500 persons convicted of sexual crimes in Texas or those transferred from some other state. The DPS’s criminal conviction database has information on some 2 million persons.

Although the Web page offers the public a convenient way to search for conviction information about individuals, users should remember that the DPS can’t guarantee the records they obtain will relate to the people about whom they are seeking information.

"With 20 million Texans and many like names, the only way to positively link someone to a criminal record is through fingerprints," Thomas said. "Anyone receiving information from either of these databases should be very cautious about how they use it. It’s up to the users to make sure the records they access actually pertain to the person in question."

The fee for accessing this information is $3.15 for each inquiry, plus an additional 57 cent transaction fee for each session. The databases can be searched by name; by name and sex; by name, sex and race; by name, sex, race and date of birth and by zip code. The entire database may be purchased for $35. Information from either database also is available by mail from the DPS Crime Records Service, P.O. Box 4143, Austin, TX, 78765-4143 at a cost of $10 per inquiry.

"We want sex offenders in Texas to know that we know who you are," Thomas continued. "And now, more easily than ever before, the people of Texas can know where you are."

Jesse James Brooks, Mike Muldoon and Bennie Aarant Jr. received Director’s Awards for their actions following a head-on collision in Jasper County. The crash left a burning van on its side and a five-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy trapped inside. The three men combined efforts to pull the children to safety. The children’s mother died in the crash but Tr. Beau Clark, HP Jasper, credits the trio with saving the children’s lives.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice Warden Joe Domingues received a Regional Commander’s Award for assisting DPS in the tense aftermath of the James Byrd murder in Jasper. As the DPS stepped up its presence to guard against additional violence, Domingues supplied support and equipment to DPS personnel in the area. Domingues oversees the TDCJ Goodman Unit in Jasper and was nominated by Sgt. Danny Young, HP Jasper.

At least 61 people died during the holiday Motorcide periods — 30 during the Christmas holiday and 31 during the New Year’s weekend. The DPS had estimated 36 fatalities for the Christmas period and 24 for New Year’s.

• Sixty-four percent of the fatal crashes involved single vehicles.
• Ten of those killed during the New Year’s period were pedestrians.
• Sixty-five percent of those killed during Christmas and 67 percent who died New Year’s were not wearing safety belts.
• At least 30 percent of the Christmas fatalities and 40 percent of the New Year’s deaths were attributed to alcohol.

Tr. John "Chip" Leake, L&W Marble Falls, and Sgt./Inv. Brad Hardin, MVT Austin, combined forces to recover stolen equipment and vehicles worth $271,000. Tr. Leake made the initial traffic stop in Burnet County when he pulled over a pick-up towing a backhoe after he noticed it had no license plate. The vehicles, destined for Kerrville, turned out to be stolen from Indiana. Sgt. Hardin joined the investigation and stolen merchandise from Indiana, Arkansas, Illinois and Iowa was recovered. The recovered items included two trucks, two trailers, two tractors, a ski boat, three all-terrain vehicles and four pieces of farm equipment. Two suspects were arrested.

If you want to follow the 76th Legislative session, complete with audio, there are some excellent sites on the Internet. Kevin Cooper, DPS legislative liaison, suggests www.capitol.state.tx.us, www.senate.state.tx.us and www.house.state.tx.us as good Web sites.

Lt. Nolan Metz, HP Austin, and Lt. Scot Houghton, HP Laredo, tied for the highest grade point average in their class at the Northwestern University Traffic Institute School of Police Staff and Command. Both men scored a 3.95 out of a possible 4.0 GPA in the ten-week program, which consisted of seven college credit courses.

Competitive examinations are scheduled this month for two commissioned positions:

• Lt., Narcotics: 8 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 3; Headquarters-Austin.
• Capt., Special Crimes: 8 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10; Headquarters-Austin.

For additional information, contact the Human Resources Law Enforcement Promotional Office, 512-424-2916.

Lt. Andres Pena Jr., Internal Affairs Austin, and Sgt. Alvin Alexis II, Texas Rangers Garland, graduated Dec. 11 from the 195th Session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA.

Phillip Warren Goodwin, Sgt./Inv., Narc. Svc. Conroe to Lt., Narc. Svc. Houston;

Thomas Jeffery Holland, Sgt./Inv., Narc. Svc. Mineral Wells to Sgt./Inv., Special Crimes Service Garland;

Dennis Keith Westerman, Sgt./Inv., Narc. Svc., Conroe to Sgt./Inv., Special Crimes Service Waco.

Charles Edward Campbell, Sgt., Cap. Pol. Austin to Lt., Cap. Pol., Austin;

Julian Sanchez, Jr., Tr. V, L&W Harlingen to Sgt., L&W Harlingen;

Juan Rodriguez, Jr., Tr. II, HP McAllen to Sgt., HP El Paso-West;

Stanley Edward Clark, Capt., HP Beaumont to Major, Chief’s staff TLE Austin;

Don Neal Everett, Sgt., Exec. Sec. Detail Austin to Lt., Exec. Sec. Detail Austin.

Mary Riddle Casey, Admin. Tech. III, Waco (Sept. 1973 – Jan. 1999) died Jan. 1;

Bernita Daniels Anderson, DL Tech., Dallas (Oct. 1993 – Dec. 1998) died Dec. 24.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery from line-of-duty injuries go to:

Tr. Kenneth Rushing, L&W Conroe

Tr. George Harris, HP Sulphur Springs

Tr. Dub Gillum, HP Granbury

Tr. Michael Smith, HP Grant Road, Houston

Tr. Richard Miller, HP Athens