LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) – There are over 2,000 state troopers in Texas and right now, the common trend for a criminal is to try and blend in with regular traffic. KGNS got an up-close look at some of the technology that goes into keeping the community safe.
Around 10 miles south of Laredo is the city of Rio Bravo, Texas where Trooper Alberto Morales and Sergeant Erik Estrada showed us a spot along the riverbanks that thousands use to cross the border illegally.
During a ride-along, the troopers got a call. It was Border Patrol asking for assistance. They had caught a group of 10 undocumented individuals. As night fell, Trooper Morales said, “it gets a little challenging because we can’t see the people inside the vehicles very well.”
State troopers have extra help thanks to the technology inside their units. “The system that we have is the mobile cap. It allows us to either run a license plate at any time of the day,” said Trooper Morales.
Over the course of 10 years, Morales said these tools have helped them act more independently during their operations. “Everything was through the radio, and then you had to write your citations,” said Morales, as well as catch criminals at every corner they go, even if they are miles away.
As part of Operation Lone Star, state troopers rely on their equipment to secure the southern borders and prevent any suspicious criminal activity between ports of entry. Since the start of the operation, more than 300,000 undocumented individuals were apprehended. 21,000 criminal arrests were made and over 352,000,000 doses of fentanyl have been seized.
Trooper Morales says he won’t give up until he sees his home state safe again. “I’m aware of the dangers that this profession has and whatever decision you make, it can affect you in becoming a part of being a state trooper,” said Trooper Morales.
In November of 2022, Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) to expand their efforts to fight the growing number of illegal immigration which meant troopers would either arrest, return, or detain suspected criminals.
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