Texas Law Enforcement

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

Webb County, Texas Sheriff



2003 GMC Sierra

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

Webb County, Texas Constable Precinct # 1



2007 Ford PI

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

Webb County, Texas Constable Precinct # 2



2004 Ford F-150 4x4 - Supervisor













2002 Ford PI













2000 Chevrolet Impala













1993 Ford F-250 4x4

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

Webb County, Texas Constable Precinct # 4



2007 Ford PI













2004 Chevrolet Impala - Drug Interdiction Unit









2003 Lincoln Navigator - Gang Unit













2000 Ford PI









1999 Chevrolet Tahoe 4x4

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

Laredo, Texas Police



2007 Dodge Charger













2007 Dodge Magnum - K-9 Unit









2004 Chevrolet Tahoe









Out-of-Service SWAT Winnebago

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

United Independent School District Police

(Laredo, TX)



2005 Chevrolet Impala

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

Willacy County, Texas Sheriff



*The white units with "County" Sheriff are ex-Kenedy County units yet to be re-marked.*





2004 Ford Mustang GT









2003 Ford E-350 - Prisoner Transport









2002 Ford PI









2002 Ford Explorer - K-9 Unit









1997 Ford Crown Victoria

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

Raymondville, Texas Police



2007 Dodge Charger













2006 Dodge Durango - Supervisor













2006 Dodge Ram









2003 Ford F-350 Stake Truck - Animal Control









2001 Ford PI - K-9 Unit

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

These are the last two photos. Hope everyone enjoyed a quick spin through the law enforcement of the Rio Grande Valley. There are several that I missed getting, and hopefully I can schedule another 3 day weekend next spring to try to round out what I missed and update things that changed. Comments always welcome.



Raymondsville Independent School District



1996 Ford Crown Victoria

[bandit]

Nice pictures. Question, what is a constable's role versus a police officer? Second, Why all the different markings on the Webb County vehicles if they are from the same county? Thanks.

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

[quote name='bandit' post='324825' date='Jul 28 2009, 08:21 ']Nice pictures. Question, what is a constable's role versus a police officer? Second, Why all the different markings on the Webb County vehicles if they are from the same county? Thanks.[/quote]



The Texas Constitution of 1956 (Article 5, Section 18) provides for the election of a constable in each precinct of a county, and counties may have between four and eight precincts each depending on their population. Currently, the term of office for Texas constables is four years. However, when vacancies arise, the commissioners court of the respective county has the authority to appoint a replacement to serve out the remaining term.



In Texas, constables and their deputies are fully empowered peace officers with county-wide jurisdiction and thus, may legally exercise their authority in any precinct within their county;[44] however, some constables' offices limit themselves to providing law enforcement services only to their respective precinct, except in the case of serving civil and criminal process. Constables and their deputies may serve civil process in any precinct in their county and any contiguous county and can serve warrants anywhere in the state.



The duties of a Texas constable generally include providing bailiffs for the justice of the peace court(s) within his precinct and serving process issued therefrom and from any other court. Moreover, some constables' offices limit themselves to only these activities but others provide patrol, investigative, and security services as well.



You must have at least an Associates Degree and a TCLEOSE certification. Or be a current or retired law enforcement officer to waive the education requirement.



The counties with the large populations (Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Laredo, El Paso, San Antonio, etc) tend to have the larger and "more complete" constables that do routine patrol. I know the ones in Dallas County get a lot of heat because they will conduct high-speed chases and because the constable is elected the county Sheriff and Dallas PD can't tell them to not chase...There was a recent chase in Houston that made it live on Fox News during the afternoon and while Houston PD was involved all of the lead cars were Harris County Constable Precinct 4 & 5 cars. Those two precinct in Harris County are actually the largest constable offices in Texas with something like 300 deputy constables per precinct.



As for the Webb cars being different. Precinct 2 has two paint schemes, the red one is the newer one, I don't know why they never repainted the one car, but I like the older scheme better. Beyond that since the chief constable are elected, they must provide their own equipment for the office, so they can decal/paint them however they want. Which is another reason that more rural (poorer) sections don't have patrol divisions since they have to provide their own vehicles.



The County Commissioners in Jim Hogg decided to purchase that Ford Explorer for all 4 precinct constables to use when they need an "official" vehicle. The Precinct # 2 constable had it that day, his regular civilian F-150 4x4 XLT has a lightbar on it, and a door star on it, but regular civilian plates as it's his own personal vehicle. The Explorer doesn't get much use however, as the S/O had to jump it <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hysterical.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[Guest]

Whats the reasoning with having all the ISD police. It looks like alot of them are buying old DPS cast off cars.

[hansinoman]

[quote name='James' post='324906' date='Jul 28 2009, 12:54 ']The Texas Constitution of 1956 (Article 5, Section 18) provides for the election of a constable in each precinct of a county, and counties may have between four and eight precincts each depending on their population. Currently, the term of office for Texas constables is four years. However, when vacancies arise, the commissioners court of the respective county has the authority to appoint a replacement to serve out the remaining term.



In Texas, constables and their deputies are fully empowered peace officers with county-wide jurisdiction and thus, may legally exercise their authority in any precinct within their county;[44] however, some constables' offices limit themselves to providing law enforcement services only to their respective precinct, except in the case of serving civil and criminal process. Constables and their deputies may serve civil process in any precinct in their county and any contiguous county and can serve warrants anywhere in the state.



The duties of a Texas constable generally include providing bailiffs for the justice of the peace court(s) within his precinct and serving process issued therefrom and from any other court. Moreover, some constables' offices limit themselves to only these activities but others provide patrol, investigative, and security services as well.



You must have at least an Associates Degree and a TCLEOSE certification. Or be a current or retired law enforcement officer to waive the education requirement.



The counties with the large populations (Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Laredo, El Paso, San Antonio, etc) tend to have the larger and "more complete" constables that do routine patrol. I know the ones in Dallas County get a lot of heat because they will conduct high-speed chases and because the constable is elected the county Sheriff and Dallas PD can't tell them to not chase...There was a recent chase in Houston that made it live on Fox News during the afternoon and while Houston PD was involved all of the lead cars were Harris County Constable Precinct 4 & 5 cars. Those two precinct in Harris County are actually the largest constable offices in Texas with something like 300 deputy constables per precinct.



As for the Webb cars being different. Precinct 2 has two paint schemes, the red one is the newer one, I don't know why they never repainted the one car, but I like the older scheme better. Beyond that since the chief constable are elected, they must provide their own equipment for the office, so they can decal/paint them however they want. Which is another reason that more rural (poorer) sections don't have patrol divisions since they have to provide their own vehicles.



The County Commissioners in Jim Hogg decided to purchase that Ford Explorer for all 4 precinct constables to use when they need an "official" vehicle. The Precinct # 2 constable had it that day, his regular civilian F-150 4x4 XLT has a lightbar on it, and a door star on it, but regular civilian plates as it's his own personal vehicle. The Explorer doesn't get much use however, as the S/O had to jump it <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hysterical.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />[/quote]



Being a regular "city police" in Dallas County, Texas, I can attest that the animosity between the "city police" and deputy constables is on the rise. Originally relegated to serving as bailiffs in JP Court or serving civil papers (subpoenas, eviction notices and the like), constables have taken on a new and higher profile in the Dallas area with the addition of "traffic constables" whose sole purpose is to go out and write tickets to pad the county's coffers. They have no other responsibilities, they don't investigate wrecks (or even respond to them), they wont show up if you call 911, and are, for the lack of a better term, generally rogues. Not a single constable precinct in Dallas County has any patrol responsibility, yet they go out and write tickets, get in long high speed chases with as many other constables that they can possibly throw into the fray, and get in the way of other law enforcement agencies who are actually out doing real police work and answering to the public.



There, I feel better...

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

[quote name='FFPM571' post='324931' date='Jul 28 2009, 15:10 ']Whats the reasoning with having all the ISD police. It looks like alot of them are buying old DPS cast off cars.[/quote]



Well Texas being the huge state that it is has 1,031 districts and with the singular exception of Stafford Municipal School District near Houston they are all Independent School Districts. Meaning they are independent of the city & county control. As such a good chunk of them have taken to creating their own police agencies. The school district lines are not neatly arranged to the city/area they are named after, and several have facilities where there would be no local police department, and would rely on the dispatch of the sheriff, constable or DPS.



While Texas has the most school police departments, California and Georgia also have a large supply of them. Georgia's tend to be county BOE (Board of Education) rather than individual school districts, and are mostly arranged around major population centers (Atlanta, Macon, Augusta, Savannah). Most of California's (which mostly are called Unified School Districts) and are almost all in Southern California. Los Angeles Unified School Police is actually the 5th largest police department in the county and has it's own SWAT team.



Beyond that Florida has about half dozen county school district police, there have been the creation of a half dozen or so school district specific departments in Pennsylvania over the past decade (most of them being "area school district") the most well known long standing would be Pittsburgh & Philadelphia. NJ has a couple in/around Camden, Detroit has one, there a few in Kentucky, as well as Mississippi.



I guess it's a sad statement of our current situation, but the fact is kids bring guns to school these days...and then could degenerate into a debate about parenting, poverty, and the state of public education...

[NationalPoliceCarArchives]

[quote name='hansinoman' post='325011' date='Jul 28 2009, 22:05 ']Being a regular "city police" in Dallas County, Texas, I can attest that the animosity between the "city police" and deputy constables is on the rise. Originally relegated to serving as bailiffs in JP Court or serving civil papers (subpoenas, eviction notices and the like), constables have taken on a new and higher profile in the Dallas area with the addition of "traffic constables" whose sole purpose is to go out and write tickets to pad the county's coffers. They have no other responsibilities, they don't investigate wrecks (or even respond to them), they wont show up if you call 911, and are, for the lack of a better term, generally rogues. Not a single constable precinct in Dallas County has any patrol responsibility, yet they go out and write tickets, get in long high speed chases with as many other constables that they can possibly throw into the fray, and get in the way of other law enforcement agencies who are actually out doing real police work and answering to the public.



There, I feel better...[/quote]



Traffic Constable you say?? *snkr*

[Guest]

OUCH Eric .... that hurt !! I sent u an email reply off list...



John Anderson

Deputy Constable

Bexar County Pct. 3

San Antonio, TX

<img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/usa.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[bandit]

Thank you for the reply.

[Guest]

Just when you think you've seen everything!!! <img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/doh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> This is one of 2 units "wrapped" by Yellow Cab in conjunction with a big anti-DWI campaign. The other unit is one of San Antonio Police Depts new black & whites.



Bexar County Sheriff

San Antonio, TX



John Anderson

San Antonio, TX

<img src='http://www.firepics.net/groupboards/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/usa.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[Guest]

....note "English" on one side, "Spanish" on the other....

[Guest]

Last one....