LUBBOCK, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott issued eight executive orders following the mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa on Thursday.
According to a press release, these new executive orders will help to prevent mass shootings by “enhancing reporting requirements” to ensure not only law enforcement, but the public have the resources needed to provide and respond to Suspicious Activity Reports.
The eight ordinances are as follows:
Ordinance No. 1 states that within 30 days, the Texas Department of Public Safety shall develop questions that can be used by all Texas law enforcement agencies to identify whether the information collected should be reported to the Texas Suspicious Activity Reporting Network.
Ordinance No. 2 explains within 30 days of the order, DPS shall provide guidance for when and how Texas law enforcement agencies should submit Suspicious Activity Reports.
Ordinance No. 3 writes that within 60 days of the order, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement should make training available to educate all law enforcement regarding ordinance one and two.
Ordinance No. 4 DPS will create and execute an initiative that will educate the public regarding how Suspicious Activity Reports are done and how they are used by law agencies to identify potential mass shootings or terroristic threats. With this information, Abott hopes the public will be more likely to report information about potential threats.
Ordinance No. 5 The DPS will work with the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on ways to inform schools about SARs and how to begin the reporting process.
Ordinance No. 6 The DPS will create multidisciplinary threat assessment teams comprised of local law enforcement, mental-health professionals and school districts. Each of its regions shall coordinate with federal partners when deemed necessary.
Ordinance No. 7 DPS as well as the Office of the Governor, will use all available resources to increase staff at fusion centers to collect and respond to SARs more efficiently. The increase in staff will also aid with monitoring and analyzing social media and online forums for potential threats.
Ordinance No. 8 Starting on Jan 1. 2020, all future grant awards from the governor’s office will require a commitment of that county to report 90 percent of convictions to the Criminal Justice Information System at DPS within seven days. By Jan. 1, 2021, reports must be done within five days.
