Bill Text: TX SR156 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Recognizing the bicentennial of the Texas Rangers.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-02-14 - Reported enrolled [SR156 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-SR156-Introduced.html
  2023S0098-1 02/07/23
 
  By: Birdwell, Hughes, Middleton, Sparks S.R. No. 156
 
 
 
SENATE RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers, the oldest state law
  enforcement agency in the United States, is hosting a kickoff
  event in commemoration of the legendary organization's
  bicentennial on January 13, 2023; and
         WHEREAS, From the settlement of the Texas frontier to the
  struggle against lawlessness during the oil boom and the
  Prohibition era, the Texas Rangers have played a central role in
  the administration of justice throughout the history of the Lone
  Star State; the term "Rangers" was first applied to a group that
  was formed to protect colonists under Stephen F. Austin in 1823,
  and the establishment of the Texas Rangers was later formalized
  by his Permanent Council, which assigned to the unit the
  responsibility of guarding the frontier from Native American
  incursions until the end of the Texas Revolution; and
         WHEREAS, After Texas won independence, the Texas Rangers
  were mobilized to a number of counties, and by the mid to late
  1870s, their role resembled that of something between an army and
  a police force; they were typically called on to assist with
  cases that were considered beyond the means of local police, and
  by the turn of the 20th century, they had transitioned from their
  duties as a frontier militia to focus almost exclusively on law
  enforcement; the beginning of the century was rife with crime,
  and the Rangers spent several decades fending off raiders along
  the Mexican border, countering spies and saboteurs, and
  apprehending the various gamblers, horse thieves, cattle
  rustlers, smugglers, bootleggers, and other offenders that
  dominated West Texas at that time; and
         WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers subsequently began operating
  under the administration of the Department of Public Safety,
  which was created by the Texas Legislature on August 10, 1935;
  only 36 personnel were initially assigned to the agency, but
  their newfound access to the department's resources, including a
  state-of-the-art crime laboratory, greatly enhanced the Rangers' 
  investigative capabilities; newer and more advanced technologies
  would further facilitate their development into a fully
  modernized police force, and from 1935 to 1955, their annual
  workload increased from approximately 255 cases to more than
  16,700; today, in addition to investigating high-profile crimes,
  the Rangers contribute to border security, tactical operations,
  and crisis negotiation and provide key support and intelligence
  to ensure that our state is protected at every level; and
         WHEREAS, Over the course of two centuries, the Texas
  Rangers have cemented an international reputation that has grown
  with their depiction in multitudes of books, movies, television
  and radio shows, and pulp novels; the Rangers are inextricably
  linked to the history and mythology of the Old West, where they
  brought such notorious outlaws to justice as serial murderer John
  Wesley Hardin and train robber Sam Bass; their ranks have
  included a number of lawmen who achieved renown for their
  crime-fighting feats, among them Frank H. Hamer, John S. Ford,
  John Coffee Hays, and Captain W. J. McDonald, who is credited
  with the phrase that became the Rangers' creed: "No man in the
  wrong can stand up against a fellow that's in the right and keeps
  on a-comin'"; and
         WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers of today are continuing a proud
  and storied tradition of service through their efforts to keep
  the peace and enforce the rule of law, and it is a pleasure to
  join in celebrating this significant milestone in the history of
  one of the most iconic institutions of the Lone Star State; now,
  therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 88th
  Legislature, hereby commemorate the bicentennial of the Texas
  Rangers and commend its members, past and present, for their
  steadfast courage and dedication to duty; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
  the Texas Rangers as an expression of high regard from the Texas
  Senate.
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