DPS has a New Director Today!

[simpleton]

Valerie Fulmer is the Chief of Administration - the CHL Bureau falls under her command.

Hmm, I wonder if we can find her email address......

[Commander]

DPS email addresses : First name.last name@txdps.state.tx.us

[Shorts]

Valerie Fulmer gets an earful. She's not ignorant to the troubles the CHL time line takes. Why or what she's doing about it, I don't know. But she knows. I hope she does have a plan because things do need to get revamped.

[Commander]

You can go on the DPS website and read the minutes of the monthly Public Safety Commission Meetings. The status of the CHL delay is often addressed. Ms. Fulmer is aware of the situation as is the Public Safety commission.

http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/calendar/index.htm

From the June 18 meeting:


CHAIRMAN POLUNSKY: Thank you, Ms.Tripp. Coincidentally, I had a discussion with Colonel Beckworth on this general topic yesterday. It is kind of an issue that certainly needs to be addressed. It's kind of a phenomenon that, at the same time as we influx in applications that have come in recently, that more or less parallels the great number of increased purchases of firearms in this country over the last several months, which is, in essence, from what I understand, overwhelming the system here. Colonel Beckworth, could you just briefly respond? You may want to get into a more detailed response after this meeting, but I think you have some basic information that would be of interest.

MR. BECKWORTH: We realize the significance of the increase in the number of applications that we were receiving. We have several temporary employees trying to address the backlog. Normally there are about 64,000, 65,000 applications
processed annually, so far this year, we have approximately 48,000 applications in the process. We have a significant backlog. Yesterday we authorized and approved to hire 60 temporary employees to come on board July the 8th. When those employees come on board, we're going to go ahead and try to address that backlog by August the 31st. On the back side of that, we've asked the Highway Patrol to add additional troopers all over the state to do the background, and in addition to the background, we're asking them to go to the county clerk's office, the district clerk's office, the sheriff department and look for better ways to be able to track that information they need to complete the background. We believe this effort over the next 60 days will help us address the backlog. We're going to try to put an automated system in place to address the issue....

[Shorts]

Glad to see some changes planned.

Could no one see the train coming down the tracks? Or did they just hope the headlight in the distance was stationary?

[joe817]

Commander, many thanks for posting the link and the exerts of the June 18 meeting. The full text is available in the "transcriptions" section of the calendar.

It is encouraging to read that DPS is attempting to clear out the backlog by Sept.1, due to additional staffing by temps. But as Alice Tripp stated accurately, the temps are there to deal with the "spike" in applications. If the spike continues, then it is not a "spike" per se, but a continued and sustained raised level of demand.

Let's hope that the sustained level of demand leads to permanent hiring of additional personnel in Austin, and in the field for the b.g. checks.

it does appear they are working on the problem. As I've said before, it will be very interesting to note when statistics are published about the CHL for f.y. 2009.

[HGWC]

Someone said this earlier:

"THE NUMBER ONE THING KILLING THEM TIME-WISE is fielding all the phone calls about where is my application."

Then there's the bit about hiring additional DPS troopers to process background checks and all this about "overwhelming" the "system" with new applications. I'm not buying any of it. All they have to do is use their discretion to define the local background checks such that all applications are completed within 60 days, and grant the licenses as required by law within 60 days. They're simply defining the local background checks such that they cannot be completed in 60 days, and the law doesn't allow them that discretion. All we need is for the new director to see to it that the DPS complies with the law just like everyone else has to.

They're canceling music and art programs in elementary schools, and yet we will now spend more money on these pointless background checks.

[Commander]

All they have to do is use their discretion to define the local background checks such that all applications are completed within 60 days, and grant the licenses as required by law within 60 days. They're simply defining the local background checks such that they cannot be completed in 60 days, and the law doesn't allow them that discretion. .

Could you explain what you mean by "defining background checks"?

[HGWC]

411.176(b) The director's designee as needed shall conduct an additional criminal history record check of the applicant and an investigation of the applicant's local official records to verify the accuracy of the application materials. The scope of the record check and the investigation are at the sole discretion of the department, except that the director's designee shall complete the record check and investigation not later than the 60th day after the date the department receives the application materials.

The legislature gave the DPS the discretion to do what ever local background checks they feel are necessary, as long as they complete the check in 60 days. There's plenty of room in these words for them to approve the applications just based upon the computerized checks and other tasks that the DPS can and are completing routinely in less than 60 days. There is absolutely no room for them to take longer than 60 days on any local background checks. All we need is from the new DPS director is a mandate that the department comply with the law. No extra resources are required.

[dicion]

Glad to see some changes planned.

Could no one see the train coming down the tracks? Or did they just hope the headlight in the distance was stationary?

Government agencies have Never been pro-active.
They are always 100% re-active in their response to a problem, even when forseen enough in advance to prevent or otherwise lessen it.

[infoman]

the 60 day thing was put in place in 2007, when they had 10 times less applications to process, and also a little thing called Hurricane Ike effected things too, that happened after 2007.

[dicion]

the 60 day thing was put in place in 2007, when they had 10 times less applications to process, and also a little thing called Hurricane Ike effected things too, that happened after 2007.

Speed limits were defined before modern cars and their advanced braking systems, safety systems, and warning systems...

Yet they're still there, and haven't really gone up either.

Point is, we still have to follow them, even though I believe they are antiquated in a lot of cases, so DPS still has to follow the laws governing them.

[HGWC]

the 60 day thing was put in place in 2007, when they had 10 times less applications to process, and also a little thing called Hurricane Ike effected things too, that happened after 2007.

Don't make excuses for the DPS. The delays are caused by nothing other than the DPS using their "discretion" to violate the law and one of our most fundamental rights with impunity. What is it, something like 12000 applications per month? While Texas is facing budget issues all over the state and while we all face higher and higher property taxes, the DPS is wasting ever increasing amounts of our tax money to check on what? That no CHL holders are in default on student loans or taxes? That they are using their "discretion" to waste more and more money on these local checks is all the more reason to criticize them. Is it too much to ask that the new director use more discretion with regards to respecting our rights and spending our money?

Hurricane Ike had such an impact that they "had to" re-assign the one clerk assigned to do the background checks for all of Harris county, one of the most populace counties in the nation. Give me a break. Even the DPS has dropped that lame excuse long ago.

[Commander]

The problem at DPS is not necessarily that they are intentionally seeking to use their "discretion to violate the law." The problem lies with the priority that is being placed on CHL applications and the background checks by upper command. When the CHL program began, DPS had a number of Troopers who were assigned specifically to do nothing but background checks. As time went by, those troopers were reassigned elsewhere - primarily back on the road. Now for the most part, the troopers doing the background checks have that duty along with other assignments as well. For example the CHL troopers in Garland and Hurst (only one at each office) also have to man "the Duty Office" where the public can come in and meet with a trooper about issues such as warrants, obtaining fingerprints, etc. This duty restricts how much time they can really dedicate to completing CHL applications. In my opinion until the upper command staff gives CHL applications a higher priority and Troopers are assigned full time with no other duties other than CHL investigation, the delays will continue.

[Bart]

the 60 day thing was put in place in 2007, when they had 10 times less applications to process

Ten times as many applications? What's your source for that?