HOUSTON -- Texas Department of Public Safety officials say they have fired 37 employees since 2010 for various offenses, although a civil rights advocate calls the number "shockingly low."
The Houston Chronicle reported Monday that DPS has fired patrolmen, investigators, analysts and a Texas Ranger for incidents including drunken driving, domestic violence and sexual harassment.
Lt. Col. David Baker, the agency's deputy director for law enforcement, says a few instances of "bad judgment" are expected with a work force of 8,832 employees.
Jim Harrington of the Texas Civil Rights Project says he wonders whether incidents are being hidden from DPS investigators. The agency earlier this year provided statistics showing 67 employees had left the agency in 2010 and 2011, including 37 who either resigned or retired while under investigation.
