Speech - March 28, 2008

(NOTE: Gov. Perry frequently deviates from prepared text.)

Thank you, Allan (Polunsky, Chairman, Public Safety Commission) for that kind introduction. I think I speak for everyone when I say that you have hit the ground running in your new role as chairman of the commission and are doing a fantastic job. Colonel Davis, members of the Department of Public Safety and the law enforcement community, it is an honor and a pleasure to be in the company of people I consider genuinely heroic.
Whether you wear the Texas Tan and badge, or you watch the clock waiting for your trooper to come home each day, you are all heroes to me, because you are committed to keeping the peace in our state. For family members here today, you may not be holding up your right hand and swearing the oath of office, but you’re as much a part of the team, an essential part of the family, as your trooper is.
Keeping the peace is not a job for the faint of heart. It takes a special person to assume the responsibility of protecting others. Taking on responsibility is not a new thing for you, however. I was impressed to learn that nearly half of today’s graduating classes have served in the military.  And several of you are parents.
So you understand what sacrifice means.
But all of you have made sacrifices over the past 26 weeks. You have started your days at 5:30 in the morning with more exercise than a lot of people get in a month. You have hit the books, taken tests, and honed your skills on the shooting range. In the process, you have become proficient in your chosen profession and are ready to take the next step.
Next month, you won’t have your instructors with you to talk through decisions. But their investment in you will bear fruit as you bring to mind their teachings and attempt to follow their example. You will also have plenty of help just a phone or radio call away.
You are joining the ranks of more than 2,000 other patrol officers who stand guard over our state and another 1,200 or so commissioned officers on the DPS team. These officers who are now your peers have a wealth of experience that will serve you well. Your challenge is to muster the courage to ask questions and the wisdom to listen as they speak.
You may spend much of your career riding solo in your vehicle, but know that you are not alone, that the people in this room and across the state are praying for you as you go in harm’s way. And we’re working to support you as well.
In this past session, we pushed for Jessica’s Law, legislation that increased the penalties for the worst criminals in our society who prey on the most innocent. We also convinced legislators to devote $110 million to an area that affects all of us: law enforcement in the border area. You may end up in that region, working to maintain order in a high-intensity environment, either full-time or as a member of one of our Trooper Strike Teams. Fortunately, you’ll be supported with the assets those dollars have purchased, including radio equipment and helicopters outfitted with night vision gear.And you’ll be part of a combined effort that has recently resulted in a 65% drop in violent crime in key areas along the border.
Our job is to put you in a position to win, because the stakes are so high and the risks are so real. There are bad people out there and you have chosen to stand between them and the citizens of our state. And the ranks of our citizens are growing at a remarkable rate.
People are coming to our state because our strong economy offers them a place to work; our vibrant communities provide them a place to raise their families; and, bottom line, Texas has always been a place for people to pursue their dreams. And you’re a key part of that; because as good as our economy may be, nobody wants make their home or raise a family in an unsafe place.
As a Texas peace officer, you will be called upon to referee conflict between angry people, comfort people who have lost a loved one, and head toward trouble when everyone else is running the other direction. In just the past few months, troopers have been recognized for rescuing a man from a flooded car, pulling another man from a burning vehicle, and saving a swimmer drowning in a frigid Texas lake.
When you head out the door each morning, you don’t know if you’ll spend the day enforcing speed limits, filing reports, or managing traffic as people head inland before a Texas-bound hurricane makes landfall. Or, you might pay heed to a hunch and check a truck more closely the way one of your fellow troopers recently did…and stopped $3 million worth of cocaine from reaching our communities.
Whatever challenges your new job presents, I am confident that your upbringing has prepared you, your training has refined you, and your personal integrity will guide you as you defend the people of our state.
You entered this room as cadets, but will walk out bearing a title rich with honor, history and prestige.
Today, you become troopers, earning the respect and admiration of your families, your peers and your governor. So, today, I salute you, you heroes of Texas, and commend you for your willingness to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of our nation and our state.
May God bless you and your families and, through you, may He continue to bless the great State of Texas.