Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SR156 Compare Versions

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1	1	2023S0098-1 02/07/23
2	2	By: Birdwell, Hughes, Middleton, Sparks S.R. No. 156
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5	5	SENATE RESOLUTION
6	6	WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers, the oldest state law
7	7	enforcement agency in the United States, is hosting a kickoff
8	8	event in commemoration of the legendary organization's
9	9	bicentennial on January 13, 2023; and
10	10	WHEREAS, From the settlement of the Texas frontier to the
11	11	struggle against lawlessness during the oil boom and the
12	12	Prohibition era, the Texas Rangers have played a central role in
13	13	the administration of justice throughout the history of the Lone
14	14	Star State; the term "Rangers" was first applied to a group that
15	15	was formed to protect colonists under Stephen F. Austin in 1823,
16	16	and the establishment of the Texas Rangers was later formalized
17	17	by his Permanent Council, which assigned to the unit the
18	18	responsibility of guarding the frontier from Native American
19	19	incursions until the end of the Texas Revolution; and
20	20	WHEREAS, After Texas won independence, the Texas Rangers
21	21	were mobilized to a number of counties, and by the mid to late
22	22	1870s, their role resembled that of something between an army and
23	23	a police force; they were typically called on to assist with
24	24	cases that were considered beyond the means of local police, and
25	25	by the turn of the 20th century, they had transitioned from their
26	26	duties as a frontier militia to focus almost exclusively on law
27	27	enforcement; the beginning of the century was rife with crime,
28	28	and the Rangers spent several decades fending off raiders along
29	29	the Mexican border, countering spies and saboteurs, and
30	30	apprehending the various gamblers, horse thieves, cattle
31	31	rustlers, smugglers, bootleggers, and other offenders that
32	32	dominated West Texas at that time; and
33	33	WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers subsequently began operating
34	34	under the administration of the Department of Public Safety,
35	35	which was created by the Texas Legislature on August 10, 1935;
36	36	only 36 personnel were initially assigned to the agency, but
37	37	their newfound access to the department's resources, including a
38	38	state-of-the-art crime laboratory, greatly enhanced the Rangers'
39	39	investigative capabilities; newer and more advanced technologies
40	40	would further facilitate their development into a fully
41	41	modernized police force, and from 1935 to 1955, their annual
42	42	workload increased from approximately 255 cases to more than
43	43	16,700; today, in addition to investigating high-profile crimes,
44	44	the Rangers contribute to border security, tactical operations,
45	45	and crisis negotiation and provide key support and intelligence
46	46	to ensure that our state is protected at every level; and
47	47	WHEREAS, Over the course of two centuries, the Texas
48	48	Rangers have cemented an international reputation that has grown
49	49	with their depiction in multitudes of books, movies, television
50	50	and radio shows, and pulp novels; the Rangers are inextricably
51	51	linked to the history and mythology of the Old West, where they
52	52	brought such notorious outlaws to justice as serial murderer John
53	53	Wesley Hardin and train robber Sam Bass; their ranks have
54	54	included a number of lawmen who achieved renown for their
55	55	crime-fighting feats, among them Frank H. Hamer, John S. Ford,
56	56	John Coffee Hays, and Captain W. J. McDonald, who is credited
57	57	with the phrase that became the Rangers' creed: "No man in the
58	58	wrong can stand up against a fellow that's in the right and keeps
59	59	on a-comin'"; and
60	60	WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers of today are continuing a proud
61	61	and storied tradition of service through their efforts to keep
62	62	the peace and enforce the rule of law, and it is a pleasure to
63	63	join in celebrating this significant milestone in the history of
64	64	one of the most iconic institutions of the Lone Star State; now,
65	65	therefore, be it
66	66	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
67	67	Legislature, hereby commemorate the bicentennial of the Texas
68	68	Rangers and commend its members, past and present, for their
69	69	steadfast courage and dedication to duty; and, be it further
70	70	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
71	71	the Texas Rangers as an expression of high regard from the Texas
72	72	Senate.