Texas' new Department of Public Safety Director: 'We will not give up one square inch of this state'

AUSTIN - A ceremony was held to swear in the new leader of the Texas Department of Public Safety on Monday.

Freeman F. Martin was sworn in as the new director at DPS headquarters in Austin by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

"Today, Texas faces the most significant public safety threats and homeland security threats of our entire lifetime," said Martin after he was sworn in.

Martin called his appointment the honor of a lifetime and says he is ready for the role.

Freeman F. Martin (Courtesy: Texas DPS)

"Texas is a law and order state, and we will not give up one square inch of this state to cartels, to gangs, to violent offenders or to crime," he said. "Texas will be safer tomorrow than it is today."

Martin replaces Colonel Steven McCraw, who retired after 15 years as the director of DPS.

Martin, 56, most recently served as the department's Senior Deputy Director. He has led the department's response to several high-profile crises, including Hurricane Harvey and Texas' Operation Lone Star border security mission, according to Texas DPS. 

He began his career with DPS in 1990 as a patrol trooper.

"Freeman Martin has demonstrated the flexibility and the agility to respond to the constantly changing public safety threats that we experience in the great state of Texas," said Governor Greg Abbott. 

"What lies in the heart of Freeman Martin is a true dedication to the rule of law in the state of Texas," Abbott added.

Martin, a native of New Deal, Texas, will be the department's 14th director. He is also the first Texas Ranger to ascend to the director role.

"From the roadways that needed to be patrolled, to our communities that needed to battle back against the growing gang problems, to the working with us on Operation Lone Star to make sure that we were able to secure the border, to doing things on a moment's notice, such as keeping campuses safe, to responding to natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey, he has a wealth of experience," Governor Abbott said.

Martin worked side by side with now former DPS Director Steven McCraw for six years.

"I know that he brings to this task the qualities, the traits, and the experience needed to be able to fill the big shoes left behind by Steve McCraw," Governor Abbott said.

McCraw announced he was hanging his hat in August, after being the top cop in Texas for 15 years.

"Texas is better, and Texas is safer because of Steve McCraw," Governor Abbott said.

McCraw’s tenure has been shaped in recent years by the criticism received for officers' response, under his leadership, during the mass shooting in Uvalde, and his department’s involvement with the border security initiative, Operation Lone Star.

"Securing the national border is a sovereign responsibility with the federal government, but when they fail to do so, it's the obligation of the state of Texas. They made it very clear that is our job," McCraw said.

Martin said he will continue to build on McCraw’s work.

"Texas is a law-and-order state, and we will not give up one square inch of this state to cartels, to gangs, to violent offenders or to crime,’ Freeman said, ‘for once in all, we're going to secure the southern border with Mexico."

Governor Abbott has allocated more than $11 billion since 2021 under the banner of Operation Lone Star to deter people from illegally crossing the border of Texas. Last year, he signed a new state law increasing the minimum sentence from two years to 10 years for people convicted of smuggling migrants or operating a stash house.

During a border patrol hearing in September, it was revealed encounters at the border are at their lowest point since September 2021.