Texas

The Texas Highway Patrol is a division of the Texas Department of Public Safety and has the responsibilities for general police traffic supervision, traffic and criminal law enforcement on the rural highways of Texas. The Division’s goal is to help maintain public safety through the efficient and effective administration of the division’s various programs.

Texas DPS created a Bureau of Communications in 1935 by the 44th Texas legislature. In 1937 teletypes were installed at Austin, Corpus, Tyler, Dallas and Amarillo. Also in 37 DPS Radio station KTXA Austin commences operation. Texas was once a very difficult place to communicate with from the surrounding states. Especially states westward needing assistance. It was through radio telegraph those things began to change. Our short story follows.

Texas State Patrol joins CW Net (APCO article June 1942) KTXA radiotelegraph at Austin, Flagship station of the Texas Highway Patrol notified all stations and contacts in the nation intercity police communication system that their station will operate on the 5100 kc band beginning June 10th with hours of operation 2:30 pm to 8:00 am daily.

This new service will, without doubt, result in much better service to the capitol city of Texas. Contact in the past has depended on numerous relays by cw and phone. Departments in the middle west especially find it necessary to handle quite a bit of traffic into the nation’s largest state. We presume to speak for APCO in general in offering congratulations and best wishes to K T X A. The portable station had issued call KTXB and utilized 1658 kc. By 1950 the department had major changes from 1658 kc a.m. to VHF FM channels 42.90 and 42.74 MHZ. Thus the fledgling start of (DPS) State Highway Patrol radio in Texas.

Pictured (Command One) D.P.S. modern up to date entry for multi channel emergency communications including satellite.

With thanks fo DPS files and Ricky Nichols of DPS Sherman for history of the department.

(TA DE CC ZBO P K) CW call-up for DPS Austin with one priority message from Columbus Ohio State Highway Patrol. I’m positive long range communications were held daily on HF Police CW network.