After 15 years as the state’s top law enforcement officer, Col. Steve McCraw announced Aug. 23 that he will retire as Texas Department of Public Safety commissioner at the end of the year.
McCraw has been in the spotlight recently over the protracted law enforcement response to the 2022 Uvalde school shooting and his agency’s role in the ongoing immigration crackdown on the Texas-Mexico border.
McCraw announced his retirement at a graduation ceremony for new police officers in Austin, Texas, and will remain in his position until a successor is named.
“This is rather easy because I know Gov. Greg Abbott will ensure that my successor will be as good, and probably better, at this job than I am,” McCraw said. “We’re in great hands because the people in this department, the leaders, are dedicated, selfless professionals who always get the job done.”
What you need to know
McCraw joined the DPS in 1977 as a highway patrolman and later served as a narcotics agent before moving to the FBI in 1983 and directing the national counterterrorism effort after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
McCraw, an El Paso native, returned to Texas in 2004 to serve as homeland security director for then-Governor Rick Perry, who appointed him as DPS chief in 2009.
DPS performs a variety of duties, including patrolling Texas highways and the state Capitol, providing military forces at the border, issuing driver’s licenses and other state identification cards, and working with local and federal law enforcement agencies.
McCraw is often seen alongside Governor Abbott as the state responds to natural disasters, violence, immigration and more. At the Aug. 23 ceremony, the governor praised McCraw’s “encyclopedic knowledge of international gangs” and his agency’s response to recent pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Texas at Austin.
“You are led by one of the most highly respected law enforcement officers in the United States,” Abbott told the DPS officers, “(McCraw) is a leader, a visionary and the quintessential law enforcement officer known for wearing a big white cowboy hat.”
Abbott said McCraw’s “leadership and flexibility to meet the changing needs of law enforcement have truly revolutionized the Texas Department of Public Safety.”
stay tuned
McCraw will continue to lead DPS until a successor is selected by the Texas Commission on Public Safety, according to a news release. DPS said details of the selection process will be released “in the coming days.”
