AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Col. Freeman Martin, the new director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the biggest challenge facing the agency today is a lack of staffing. This challenge is not only impacting law enforcement service, but also driver license services that have lead to long wait times for Texans waiting to get an ID.
"We have not kept up with the growth and population in Texas," Martin said in video released by the agency this week. The agency is requesting 500 new commissioned personnel to help address the shortage and provide relief for the troopers who Martin says have an "increase workload."
It is also requesting an additional 1,525 non-commissioned positions over the next two years, with about 80% of those new positions going toward increasing the staff for driver license services. According to the agency's Legislative Allocations Request for the upcoming biennium, the agency is requesting $207.7 million dollars to improve driver license services staffing, and an additional $21 million dollars for technology improvements.
Martin said the agency is doing well with wait times for driver license appointments in rural areas, but struggle in more populated major metropolitan areas. According to the allocations request, several areas are experiencing wait times over 60 days, and some areas even have wait times that exceed 90 days.
Many Texans in central Texas are feeling that long wait time, including Kevin Gray. He lost his wallet in the summer, and is still without an ID to this day. He called San Antonio and Austin offices to schedule an appointment and found he was going to have to wait four months.
"I really couldn't believe it," Gray explained. He decided to use a tactic that many Texans are deferring to -- driving to a more rural location. He chose an office in Seguin and waited in line, but was told to go home and schedule an appointment online.
"I believe the citizens of Texas deserve better," Gray said.
The budget request from DPS would provide funding to add 833 new positions across the state for driver license staffing, but the agency is also looking at the call center staffing. The agency answers customer questions related to licensing and identification services in its Customer Service Center (CSC).
Since 2020, the CSC has received 47,564,627 phone calls and could only answer 2,508,197 of those because of a lack of staffing, according to the allocation request. The CSC also answered 1.5 million emails in that same time frame as well. The request states the "CSC continues to receive millions of customer contacts that cannot be handled due to lack of resources."
Martin said the issue comes with the REAL ID-compliant driver license. Starting in May of 2025, you will need a REAL ID to be able fly on an airplane. A REAL ID is marked with a gold star in the upper right corner. Martin said the agency is looking at technology upgrades that will allow Texans to upload the proper documents while at home, so those documents do not have to be verified in the office, which can take hours.
The agency is also looking at upgrading the appointment system. Martin said offices in big cities have a 30% no-show rate. The solution is updating the system so people can easily cancel their appointment, and they will be sent reminders about their appointment where they will have to verify they are still going.
