Texas Department of Public Safety’s Top Officer Will Retire
By Staff Writer
08-25-2024
AUSTIN – The Executive Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety announced Friday he is retiring from the agency after 15 years.
In a letter sent to more than 11,000 Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers and employees, Director Steven C. McCraw announced that after leading the agency for 15 years, he plans to retire.
“There is no more important responsibility in government than ensuring the safety and security of our citizens,” McCraw wrote in the letter. “You, the men and women of the Texas Department of Public Safety, have upheld this responsibility with unmatched excellence. 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.”
McCraw started his law enforcement career with DPS in 1977 as a Trooper in the Texas Highway Patrol and later as a DPS Narcotics Agent. In 1983, he became a Special Agent with the FBI and served in Dallas, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Tucson, San Antonio and Washington, DC.
In 2004, McCraw retired from the FBI to become the Texas Homeland Security Director in the Office of the Governor where he served until his appointment as DPS Director in 2009.
McCraw came under fire by the Texas media for lack of transparency after the May 22, 2022 Uvalde Robb Elementary School shooting.
According to the Texas Tribune, last year a State District Court Judge in Travis County ordered the Department of Public Safety to release records over the law enforcement response to the school shooting. Ninety-one of the agency’s troopers responded to the school shooting. DPS refused to release the records and a pending appeal in the matter has yet to be heard.
McCraw will serve as Director through the end of the year pending the Public Safety Commission selection of his replacement.
Photo Texas Department of Public Safety
Letter sent Friday, August 23, 2024, released in press release.
