Texas Rangers expand cold case program across state
Texas Rangers cold case division
The Texas Department of Public Safety announced it was expanding a unit that specializes in cold case murders and sexual assaults statewide.
The expansion comes from increased funding from the state legislature that allowed DPS to expand the program to 17 Rangers and three support personnel.
What they're saying:
"For nearly 25 years, the Texas Rangers Cold Case Program has helped partner law enforcement agencies bring justice to victims and their families in every corner of Texas," said Texas Ranger Division Chief Scotty Shiver.
The expansion allows for a second Texas Ranger that specializes in cold cases to be assigned to each of the agencies six companies.
The agency has also added another staff lieutenant to assist with the state's sexual assault kit initiative.
"The expansion of this program is a testament to the Rangers’ success in working alongside investigators and forensic scientists to identify and arrest criminals who, sometimes for many years, have believed they have gotten away with committing some of the most heinous crimes," Shiver said. "As forensic science and technology continue to advance, so will our ability to make a bigger impact in our state – putting more violent criminals behind bars and making Texas communities safer."
The program was started in 2001 and since then, the agency said it has solved more than 300 cases.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Texas Department of Public Safety.