El Paso County Commissioners set to further discuss safety concerns surrounding DPS pursuits
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso County Commissioners will continue their discussion on safety concerns surrounding Texas Department of Public Safety pursuits.
Commissioners will "receive legal advice and consultation regarding road and speed safety issues associated with high-speed vehicle pursuits in El Paso County," according to today's agenda.
A regular session item is also scheduled after executive session concludes to "discuss and take appropriate action" on the topic.
"Our review did find that DPS pursuits are an ongoing danger," El Paso Assistant County Attorney Bernardo Cruz said during the presentation to El Paso County Commissioners Court Monday morning.
The review was sparked by requests from community members and Commissioners over the past year.
"We understand that there is a role for vehicle pursuits in certain circumstances in any community," County Attorney Christina Sanchez said.
Sanchez added that officer and public safety must be paramount when law enforcement officers engage in such pursuits.
According to research from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), more than 90% of traffic pursuits stem from traffic violations.
PERF also found that roughly 75% of offenders said they would slow down if pursuits were disengaged.
The County presentation noted that following a trend of deaths related to U.S. Border Patrol pursuits, Customs and Border Protection changed their policy in May 2023 to align with guidelines from the Department of Justice.
Assistant County Attorney Cruz added that Texas Governor Greg Abbott's announcement of Operation Lone Star in 2021 increased the number of DPS agents in border communities.
Shortly after in 2022, the city of El Paso's disaster declaration saw a drastic increase of DPS presence in the El Paso area.
ABC-7 is working to contact officials from DPS and El Paso County for more details on the situation.
