TX DPS - More than semiauto AND faster
Some of you know I work in a non-commissioned role at Texas Dept of Public Safety (the Texas state police force). Today, I got an up-close look, and photos, of the 2nd of the new fleet of patrol boats that the agency is commissioning.
She’s named after one of our fallen officers who was killed on duty in 1981. She’s 34 feet long, does 70 mph, draws only 2 feet of water, and is powered by 3 of 300 hp outboard engines, for a total of 900 horsepower. She is also heavily armed: 6 selective fire rifles mounted along the gunwales, 4 at the front and 2 at the rear
Here’s some photos:
The reason for boats is that TX DPS has Texas Rangers, Highway Patrol, Crime Labs, etc, but also Water Patrol, and does a lot in cooperation with Federal Border Patrol. That includes drug interdiction along the Rio Grande River between Texas and Mexico, and the drug runners have been outgunning our officers. These boats aim to fix that.
The rifles are selective fire 308s, and with 6 of them, our good guys will be able to throw more lead than the bad guys can. The 1000 horsepower, 70 mph, and shallow draft ensure they can get to the scene quickly, as long as there is even minimal water along the route (Texas has been going througha long draught).
The Memorial Wall in front of our training academy reminds us all that some of our guys never come home. At least now, they have much better tools to work with to stay alive.
Jim G
Some of you know I work in a non-commissioned role at Texas Dept of Public Safety (the Texas state police force). Today, I got an up-close look, and photos, of the 2nd of the new fleet of patrol boats that the agency is commissioning.
She’s named after one of our fallen officers who was killed on duty in 1981. She’s 34 feet long, does 70 mph, draws only 2 feet of water, and is powered by 3 of 300 hp outboard engines, for a total of 900 horsepower. She is also heavily armed: 6 selective fire rifles mounted along the gunwales, 4 at the front and 2 at the rear
Here’s some photos:
The reason for boats is that TX DPS has Texas Rangers, Highway Patrol, Crime Labs, etc, but also Water Patrol, and does a lot in cooperation with Federal Border Patrol. That includes drug interdiction along the Rio Grande River between Texas and Mexico, and the drug runners have been outgunning our officers. These boats aim to fix that.
The rifles are selective fire 308s, and with 6 of them, our good guys will be able to throw more lead than the bad guys can. The 1000 horsepower, 70 mph, and shallow draft ensure they can get to the scene quickly, as long as there is even minimal water along the route (Texas has been going througha long draught).
The Memorial Wall in front of our training academy reminds us all that some of our guys never come home. At least now, they have much better tools to work with to stay alive.
Jim G
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