Colonel Homer Garrison Jr., Director of the Department of Public Safety
Captain M.T. “Lone Wolf” Gonzaullas, legendary TX Ranger, said to have killed 31 men during his three decade career.
E.K. Browning, Jr., while captain of the Austin district of the TX Highway Patrol was part of the state security force for Lyndon B. Johnson and his ranch in Johnson City while LBJ was Senator, Vice-President and President.
Pat Spear, future Director of the DPS, succeeded Garrison.
Mark Video Segment:
begin
end
play
See someone or something you recognize? TAMI Tagging
Click begin and end to mark the segment you wish to tag. Then enter your comment and click on Tag!
On February 7, 1964 the eighth annual meeting of the Quarter Century Club of the Texas Department of Public Safety was held. In this footage from that meeting Colonel Homer Garrison Jr. – the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety – shakes hands with the men and women who had devoted at least twenty five years of service to the Department of Public Safety. Each member of the club shakes Garrison’s hand while introducing themselves, telling of the department in which they served, and citing the date when they began working for the Department of Public Safety.
Colonel Homer Garrison Jr.'s lifelong Texas law enforcement career began at age 19 (shortly after graduating from Lufkin High School), when he was appointed deputy sheriff of Angelina County. In 1930, he joined the newly forming Texas Highway Patrol. When the Texas Highway Patrol became part of the Texas Department of Public Safety in 1935, Col. Garrison became the new agency's first assistant director. In 1938, his role changed to director of the DPS and chief of the Texas Rangers, a position he held until his death in 1968. The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum at Fort Fisher is named for him.
Established by the Texas Legislature on August 10, 1935, the Texas Department of Public Safety was created by the consolidation of the Texas Highway Motor Patrol with the Texas Rangers. Since that time, its duties have grown to include such activities as the state licensing of drivers, vehicle inspection, narcotics enforcement, and the State Civil Defense Office, (now the Division of Emergency Management,) which aids local governments during times of natural disaster or social upheaval. While its duties have evolved over time, the mission of the DPS has remained constant - to provide public safety services to those people in the state of Texas by enforcing laws, administering regulatory programs, managing records, educating the public, and managing emergencies, both directly and through interaction with other agencies.
Share this video
