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TOP STORIES
TuesdayFebruary92010



x46
Governor's Mansion investigation puts DPS on the spot
6/19/2008 1:30 PM
By: News 8 Austin Staff

One trooper was on duty at the mansion the night it went up in flames.  
At internal investigation showed that a lack of personnel, faulty security equipment and poorly trained troopers awaited the arsonist at the Governor's Mansion Sunday.

"It was sort of a perfect storm; it's a terrible way to learn a lesson," Texas State Trooper attorney Don Dickson said.

The information came Thursday from an ongoing internal investigation by Department of Public Safety Sergeant Michael Escalante.

Escalante said the one trooper on duty the night of the June 8 blaze was not properly trained to monitor the security system. He also said parts of a motion detector system were not working properly and required extra vigilance from the trooper.

The trooper was turned away from the security console in the carriage house behind the mansion and was working on a nearby computer.

Only 13 of 20 surveillance cameras were operating at the time.

"This is likely not the finest moment for the Department of Public Safety," Public Safety Commissioner Allan Polunsky said.

Information from an internal investigation was released Thursday.  
The DPS investigator said the problems brought to light by the fire were brought to the attention of higher-ups in a memo months earlier, but nothing was done.

Public safety commissioners asked about rules that allow troopers to watch TV and use a computer on the job.

"This department needs to be examined in its totality and what it does on a day-to-day basis," Polunsky said.

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Security Failure

News 8 Austin's Catie Beck tells us what the internal investigation at DPS revealed.



The chair of the commission plans on asking the secret service for help securing the whole capital complex. But some feel improving wages and filling vacancies is the only way to put out the flames.

"The department was probably doing the best they could with what they had," Dickson said. "It's not just at the Capitol, it goes from Texarkana to El Paso, we do not have enough troopers."

The Associated Press contributed to this report,

More Information
Related Stories
More Information

6/11/08Perry heartbroken over charred remains of Governor's Mansion
6/9/08Sprinkler system planned, not started at mansion
6/9/08Federal investigators help probe Governor's Mansion fire
6/8/08Texans react to Governor's Mansion fire




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