AUSTIN — Three years after the plan first took shape, Hidalgo County saw the groundbreaking for a new Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Region 8 Headquarters. The new facility will monitor operations for 13 counties along the Texas-Mexico border from Brownsville to Del Rio. Overcrowding and a severe need for additional space for equipment prompted the building of a new headquarters.

State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa secured the $41 million used to construct the new regional site. The region's new DPS building will house more than 200 employees and a variety of divisions, including highway patrol, a crime laboratory, emergency management, victims' support, and offices for the Texas Rangers.

Senator Hinojosa commented on the completion of this long-awaited project.

"This project required a lot of input and support from many communities in Hidalgo County. I am happy to say that this new headquarters for DPS will bring a fresh face to law enforcement in South Texas. Public trust in the manpower and resources DPS relies on to secure our neighborhoods is essential to creating a law-abiding environment. This new facility is a symbol of our commitment to keeping our streets safe for the families in this region," Senator Hinojosa said.

This new facility will also house a DPS helicopter. As the new regional command, the site will host intelligence gathering operations for law enforcement.

The current headquarters could not be expanded because of limited space around the building. A new site allowed for the needed expansion of parking space. The existing building is about 40 percent smaller than other headquarters for similar regions in Texas.

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