Operation Strong Safety Directive

DPS was directed by the Texas Leadership in June of 2014 to launch Operation Strong Safety
(OSS) to increase border security by conducting around-the-clock marine, air and ground
saturation patrols with local, state and federal law enforcement partners to combat the smuggling
of drugs and people into Texas by Mexican cartels and their associates.
OSS remains ongoing at the direction of state leaders, and the Texas Legislature and Texas
Leadership will determine if the states border security efforts have been successful, as well as
how and to what extent the state will continue its border security efforts.
UCR Data
State leaders did not direct DPS to impact UCR crime. **As noted above, DPS was directed
to combat the smuggling of people and drugs into Texas by Mexican cartels and their
associates.
Therefore, using UCR data to assess the impact of Operation Strong Safety is flawed. UCR
data cannot accurately measure how secure the border is (or the prevalence of organized
crime).
Important To Note - Not only is the UCR program voluntary in the state of Texas, but the
UCR program also dates back to 1927, and does not reflect an accurate picture of the
crimes committed and threats posed by modern-day criminal enterprise organizations
currently operating in our state. Drug smuggling, child pornography, weapons offenses,
extortion, corruption, bribery, money laundering and kidnapping are just a few of the
crimes committed by ruthless individuals and organizations including Mexican cartels
and transnational gangs that are not reflected in current UCR data. (The adoption of the
National Incident Based Reporting System would address these and other categories
relevant to accurately assessing the impact of all crime occurring in our communities,
which is something the department has been advocating for some time.)
Equating border security initiatives to only addressing crime in the border region is myopic
which is another reason why using local crime data to measure border security doesnt work. If
any community in our country has a drug problem, they most likely have a cartel and unsecure
border problem. The cartels use the Texas-Mexico border areas as transshipment corridors to
move drugs, humans, stolen vehicles, fugitives, and other contraband throughout Texas and the
nation. Additionally, an unsecure border is a vulnerability that can be exploited by criminals of
all kinds, and it would be nave to rule out the possibility that any criminal organization,
including terrorists, would look for opportunities to take advantage of security gaps along our
international border.
**An example of OSS activity that applies to the directive given by state leaders:
In FY 2014, the number of apprehensions in the Rio Grande Valley reached its highest level
since records are available beginning in 1960. Since the launch of OSS in June 2014, the number
of illegal alien apprehensions in the OSS area of operation has fallen sharply. This trend marks

a sharp contrast to the increase that had been trending before OSS. After the first week of the
operation, there were 6,606 illegal alien apprehensions in the area of operation. By week 11, the
numbers had decreased below 2,000 and have consistently remained low through week 28.
[Source: Operation Strong Safety Report,
http://dps.texas.gov/PublicInformation/documents/operationStrongSafetyRpt.pdf]
How to measure border security
The border with Mexico is not secureperiod. There is ample evidence illustrating this fact,
including the countless human and drug smuggling events across the Texas-Mexico border every
single day, week, month and year of which only a portion are interdicted.
As you will find in the Operation Strong Safety report, DPS was directed to produce and submit
to the Texas Legislature and the Office of the Governor, the department has recommended
moving to a strategy focused on detection and interdiction.
The only way to accurately assess the true level of security between the Ports of Entry is to
be able to detect ALL smuggling events and determine whether each smuggling event was
interdicted. Until you can detect and interdict all smuggling events between the Ports of Entry,
the border will remain unsecured. In understanding this strategy, it is clear that all other data sets
are insufficient in measuring border security.
The importance of moving to the above strategy is that the results are transparent and cannot be
manipulated to illustrate success or failure (as can be done by anyone using other data sets). The
State Legislature and Texas Leadership also recognize the importance of moving to a strategy
that can truly measure border security.
DPS is proud of the efforts of our personnel who risk their lives to protect the citizens of Texas
on a daily basis, including those combating criminal elements at the border as part of Operation
Strong Safety. Mexican cartels and their operatives remain a threat to the safety and security of
Texans, and we have a responsibility to make every effort to keep Texans safe from this
significant threat.
Tom Vinger
Press Secretary, Texas Department of Public Safety