The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has recently released its Texas Public Safety Threat Overview 2013, a report which examines the threats currently facing the state.

According to the report, “Texas faces the full spectrum of threats. The globalization and convergence of crime and terrorism; an unsecure border with Mexico, powerful and ruthless Mexican cartels, violent transnational and statewide gangs, and serial criminals; worldwide terrorist organizations and lone wolf actors; cyber intrusions and threats; the unpredictability of catastrophic natural disasters and pandemic diseases; the high loss of life from vehicle crashes; the large amount of critical infrastructure in Texas, and the dramatic and continued increases in the state’s population – all of these factors have resulted in an asymmetric threat environment in our state requiring constant vigilance to minimize the danger to our citizens and their families.”

The document “details the state’s systematic approach to detecting, assessing and prioritizing public safety threats within seven separate categories: crime, terrorism, motor vehicle crashes, natural disasters, public health threats, industrial accidents and cyber threats.”

Speaking about the report at the 2013 Texas Emergency Management Conference in San Antonio, DPS Director Steven McCraw stated, “It is paramount that DPS and our law enforcement partners be prepared when the unthinkable happens, and this assessment specifically identifies the most significant threats that we must contend with.”

Article formerly posted at https://www.hsdl.org/blog/newpost/view/s_4752