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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The Texas Rangers celebrated its bicentennial on |
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January 13, 2023; and |
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WHEREAS, The oldest state law enforcement agency in the |
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United States, the group known as the Texas Rangers was created in |
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1823 by Stephen F. Austin to provide protection for colonists, and |
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in 1835, the organization was formally established by a resolution |
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of Austin's Permanent Council; following the Texas Revolution, the |
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Congress of the Republic of Texas passed a law granting a battalion |
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of mounted riflemen to protect the frontier, principally against |
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Native Americans; and |
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WHEREAS, The Rangers achieved worldwide fame as a fighting |
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force during the Mexican War in 1846, and in the 1870s, they were |
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dispatched to subdue feuding and banditry and to help restore order |
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in areas along the Rio Grande; over the next several decades, the |
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need for frontier law enforcement waned, but after a series of |
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reforms in the 1920s, the Rangers were called upon to patrol for |
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smugglers, cattle rustlers, and other offenders, and they prevented |
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injury and property damage during demonstrations and tamed a number |
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of lawless oil boomtowns; and |
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WHEREAS, When the Texas Department of Public Safety was |
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created in 1935, the Texas Rangers joined a much larger law |
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enforcement team and became a highly effective state police force, |
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complete with a highway patrol, detectives, and a modern scientific |
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laboratory, and during World War II, they instructed civilians and |
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local police in the latest defense techniques for protecting |
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critical infrastructure from sabotage; today, the agency conducts |
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investigations in such areas as major violent crime, public |
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corruption, cold cases, and officer-involved shootings, and it |
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oversees the DPS border security operations, as well as the |
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department's tactical and crisis negotiation programs; and |
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WHEREAS, Over the last 200 years, this renowned organization |
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has secured its place in the colorful history of the Lone Star |
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State, and the dedicated men and women of the Texas Rangers continue |
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to play an instrumental role in ensuring the safety and security of |
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their fellow citizens; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the bicentennial of the Texas |
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Rangers and extend to the agency's members sincere best wishes for |
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continued success in their important work; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the Texas Rangers as an expression of high regard by |
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the Texas House of Representatives. |