Texas Department of Public Safety Historical Museum ~ Austin, TX

For all those budding law enforcement officers out there, we have something for you on Austin Museum Day!

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will showcase its history as well as its current law enforcement capabilities on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012 as part of Austin Museum Day, which features free exhibitions and activities at participating Austin-area museums and cultural sites. The DPS Historical Museum and Research Center is sponsoring the event at DPS Headquarters (5805 N. Lamar Blvd., Building A, Austin, TX 78752) from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday, which will be free and open to the public.

The DPS Historical Museum and Research Center event will highlight the department’s rich history, displaying a vintage patrol car and motorcycle, along with vintage uniforms. Additionally, equipment currently being used by the department will be showcased, including a 34-foot shallow water interceptor. These new patrol vessels, equipped with multiple .30 caliber machine guns and three 300 horsepower engines, are assigned to patrol the Texas Coast and Rio Grande River.

Other DPS displays will include the:

EC-145 helicopter, DPS’ largest and most versatile helicopter, which has flown missions all over the state and the Texas-Mexico border;
Crime Lab Crime Scene Vehicle, which is regularly deployed to crime scenes to assist in the investigation of crimes in Texas;
Harley Davidson Road King Police Motorcycle that currently patrols the Capitol Complex in Austin;
Texas Ranger SWAT Team V-150 armored personnel carrier, which is deployed when responding to statewide critical incidents of a high risk nature, such as hostage situations, barricaded subjects, and active shooter incidents;
Tejas Mobile Command Center, a self-contained mobile communications command center that deploys across Texas in response to natural disasters, law enforcement events and other emergency situations; and
Canine Unit, which uses specially-trained dogs to search for narcotics and explosives.