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Making Changes - the New Face of
Regulation
RENEARL BOWIE, Assistant Director, Regulatory Licensing Division, Department of Public
Safety
�CHANGE� IS OFTEN DEFINED as to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone. This perhaps best describes the Regulatory Services Division and the former Private Security Bureau.
The PSB was established to regulate the private security profession in the state of Texas. This regulatory function encompassed licensure as well as enforcement of the Private Security Act.
With the advances in technology and the growth of the industry, the bureau faced many challenges and opportunities to keep pace with the changes. The industry and the PSB both recognized that in order to provide services to licensees, the bureau would have to move forward.
The department created the Regulatory Services Division which now encompasses various components of the agency, those being private security, concealed handgun, motor vehicle inspection, metals regulation and the narcotics registration program. Each of these programs is unique in its own fashion but have some similarities. Perhaps one of the most important of these is in the area of enforcement of the statute and rules that govern each entity.
The Texas Commission on Private Security transferred to the Department of Public Safety through legislative enactment in 2003. This transfer brought five commissioned peace officers to the agency to help with the enforcement of the Private Security Act.
The department and the PSB quickly realized that enforcement would need to be a priority and authorized an additional 25 commissioned officers to assist with regulation. These troopers made an initial impact by identifying unlicensed entities with the help of the regulated community. These troopers were stationed throughout the state in order to provide enforcement presence in each region. The department has received numerous compliments on the activities of these investigators. Now that the regulatory division has changed as previously mentioned, so has the enforcement capabilities of the division.
The regulatory division now has more than 60 commissioned officers including supervisory personnel. These officers are tasked with the overall responsibility of enforcing all regulations pertaining to the aforementioned regulatory programs. This increase in manpower will enable the division to improve its response to unlicensed activity in all regulatory programs.
The increase has also caused a change in the overall structure of the enforcement section and its capabilities.
The Compliance and Enforcement Bureau is comprised of three major districts throughout the state. These districts are located in Houston, Dallas and Austin. Each of these commands is further subdivided into subdistricts located in Garland, McKinney, Houston, San Antonio, McAllen and El Paso.
As mentioned in previous board meetings, the division is also in the process of training auditors to handle routine inspection of companies as the need arises. This additional support mechanism will allow the commissioned officers of the division to concentrate on unlicensed and criminal activity within the industry.
Here are a few examples of the enforcement activities throughout the state.
DALLAS
Agents in Dallas recently concluded perhaps the largest guard registration and inspection operation since the inception of the regulatory division. Agents monitored and randomly inspected guards who were assigned to provide regulated services for the Super Bowl held at Cowboy Stadium in February.
Agents arrested an individual in Collin County for operating an unlicensed alarm company. The information leading to the arrest was provided from the regulated community.
HOUSTON
Agents in Houston arrested a male subject for operating a guard company without a license and for unlawfully carrying a weapon. The individual was observed working at a site that was previously under contract with a licensed company. The subject was later turned over to the Harris County Jail.
Agents in Houston received information regarding an unlicensed subject providing guard services at a medical facility in the Houston area. Upon locating the subject, Agents arrested the individual for unlicensed activity and family violence warrant through Harris County.
CORPUS CHRISTI
Agents in Corpus Christi conducted an operation on an alleged unlicensed locksmith company. The operation resulted in the arrest of a female subject for operating a locksmith company without a license. The individual was placed in the Kleberg County Jail in Kingsville.
BROWNSVILLE
Agents in the Rio Grande Valley arrested two male individuals in San Benito for operating a company without a license. Agents received confidential information which later resulted in the accumulation of evidence to support an arrest warrant. Both male subjects were arrested and transported to the Cameron County Jail.
On another note, the license and registration program has begun to move toward changes in procedures in order to improve application processing time.
For example, the licensing section will be developing new forms that are more applicable to �front end� scanning. These new forms will reduce the time for manual data entry and provide for more efficient processing.
The licensing program is also leveraging current manpower needs to ensure that more staff is available to handle the large volume of phone calls directed to the section. The licensing section receives approximately 1,100 calls per month regarding the private security industry. These staff members are also responsible for entering application data for companies and individuals as well.
The RSD has made strides in efficiencies and enforcement regarding the private security profession. There is still much to be done regarding improvement of the program and its operation.
The Texas Legislature is currently in full swing and the agency is monitoring new legislation that will further aid the department in fulfilling its mission regarding regulatory functions.
The regulatory division will continue to work closely with members from the regulated community and the PSB to further improvements in the profession.
Please feel free to contact the division regarding questions concerning licensure or to report unlicensed activity. The RSD can be reached at 512-424-7710 in Austin or
www.txdps.state.tx.us/psb. You can also contact their local DPS regional office for further RSD assistance regarding enforcement.
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