AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Public Safety Commission (PSC) announced the new Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety is current Senior Deputy Director Freeman Martin.
Martin’s appointment will take effect on Dec. 1, according to the PSC.
According to the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement (TCOLE), Martin received his Texas Peace Officer License 34 years ago in 1990 and has been with DPS for the entirety of his career.
Martin began as a Trooper in the Texas Highway Patrol Division before becoming a Sergeant in the Narcotics Service in Houston, then worked his way up the ranks as a Texas Ranger, according to DPS.
In 2014, Martin was named Regional Commander for the Central Texas Region and was appointed to his current position as Deputy Director in 2018.
Martin’s appointment comes less than three months after Col. Steve McCraw announced his retirement as the director of DPS after serving 15 years as the head of the state’s law enforcement division.
“Serving as the Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety has been the greatest honor of my life. I leave knowing that the future of this department is in the best possible hands–yours. Your continued efforts and commitment to excellence have made, and will continue to make, a profound difference in the lives of those around you,” McCraw said in an email to DPS staff in August.
Last month, Col. McCraw was honored at his last PSC meeting before his retirement where he was presented with two proclamations from Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for his 15 years of service.
Additionally, PSC Chairman Steven Mach announced in a news release that PSC is naming its new training facility the Steven C. McCraw Law Enforcement Academy and Training Center.
“There is no doubt that the department has become one of the most elite law enforcement organizations in the nation because of Director McCraw, and by naming this new facility – where recruits will go to learn and train – in his honor, his legacy of service to this state will continue to inspire generations of men and women who choose to join the ranks of the Texas tan,” Mach said in the release.
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