Freeman Martin, a former state trooper and longtime Texas Ranger, has been named the 14th Director of the Texas DPS, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. Martin will take over Dec. 1 and will be sworn in Dec. 2.
The Public Safety Commission announced Wednesday who will replace retiring Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, a Texas Ranger with decades of service in the DPS.
At an August graduation ceremony for Texas State Troopers, McCraw announced his intent to retire from the DPS by the end of the year.
"The greatest honor of my life is to have served as the director of the Department of Public Safety for 15 years," McCraw said. "The governor has been very gracious [and] has authorized and approved my retirement at the end of the year."
Senior Deputy Director Freeman F. Martin, 56, will replace McCraw. He is the first Texas Ranger in the department's history to be named director of the DPS.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
"Growing up as one of 13 kids in New Deal – I never could have imagined this day," said Martin. "For the past three decades, it has been a privilege to work alongside the dedicated and character-driven individuals who embody the core values of this agency. The opportunity to lead this organization that I love is the honor of a lifetime. I am deeply honored and grateful to the Public Safety Commission and the governor for entrusting me with the leadership of this agency. I’m committed to carrying out our mission of protecting and serving the people of Texas."
The five-member PSC unanimously selected Martin on Wednesday.
"I can think of no one better in this moment to lead this department than Freeman Martin," said PSC Chairman Steven Mach. "For the last three decades, he has worked his way through the ranks of DPS. His knowledge of this department, how it operates, what it needs and what its people need is unmatched. He's well respected, and it has been an honor to work with him over the years. I am confident he will guide this department into the future with the steadfast leadership that the people of this agency—and Texans, deserve."
Martin began his career with the DPS in 1990 as a state trooper in Winnie. Since then, he's served the highway patrol in Lubbock, worked narcotics in Houston and then moved over to the Texas Rangers where he worked in Houston and Austin before being named regional commander. Martin was appointed deputy director of Homeland Security Operations by the PSC in 2018.
In their statement Wednesday, the DPS said Martin "has a wealth of expertise in crisis management and security, including executive protection, violent crime prevention operations, intelligence, counterterrorism, and border and homeland security. Throughout his career, Martin has led the department's response to numerous high-profile crises such as the Rice Village serial murders, the Twilight Rapist investigation, the Sutherland Springs mass shooting, Austin serial bombings, Hurricane Harvey, numerous riot prevention operations, and Texas' historic Operation Lone Star border security mission."
Martin, the DPS said, "established a Texas Anti-Gang Center (TAG) in San Antonio, co-developed the Texas Ranger Major Crime Scene Response Team program, and oversaw numerous programs and initiatives to support local law enforcement agency partners across the state."
Martin earned a bachelor of science in criminal justice and graduated from Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command.
McCraw will officially retire on Nov. 30. Martin will take over as DPS director on Dec. 1 and be sworn in during a special ceremony at DPS headquarters in Austin on Dec. 2.
