BOSTON — Traffic-control problems with Texas traffic-enforcement officials are having an impact on the nation’s largest city.
It’s been reported by the Wall Street Journal that the state’s traffic-registration system is so badly broken that at least three of the city’s five police departments have to rely on software from a third-party vendor to keep their systems up to date.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security has also reportedly lost two key officers in recent months.
In a statement to the WSJ, DPS Director of Operations Jim Halliday said that while his agency has been working to fix its systems, it is still struggling to make sure the system is up to snuff.
“The department has made significant improvements to its system to provide greater transparency and efficiency in our enforcement, and to improve communication with our community,” Halliday wrote.
He added that the department will soon start using a new vendor, a software provider, for its data collection.
The company, called VeriSign, is currently providing software to the Texas Department and has been awarded $7.6 million in the latest round of federal grants for its efforts.
DPS has been struggling with the issue of traffic violations, and it has faced a barrage of complaints and lawsuits.
The Texas Tribune reported in April that the agency has lost at least five officers since last year.
A Tribune review of state and local police department data from last year found that DPS lost at most five officers a month.
Texas Police Chief Art Acevedo was forced to resign last year after it was revealed that he was having an affair with a woman.
The Department of Homeland Security awarded a $1.2 billion contract to VeriLogic last month for its technology.
It will provide the Texas Police Department with new software to better manage its traffic enforcement systems.
The Wall Street Report reported that VeriSecurity will also provide data collection services to Texas law enforcement agencies.
It was previously announced that the DHS had awarded the contract to Texas for its systems to Veriface.
VeriSecure was formed by Texas in the early 2000s as a competitor to Verilogic and the companies were later merged.
VeriSecure’s chief executive officer, Michael C. Anderson, is a former Texas State Trooper and former federal agent.
“VeriSign has a proven track record of being a top-tier vendor for law enforcement and the Texas State Police,” said Kevin DeRose, a spokesman for the DHS.
“We have a proven reputation in the technology arena for delivering the best results for our law enforcement clients.”
The DHS has also been struggling to fix traffic-ticket and traffic-detention problems.
The agency reported that it had lost 1,300 officers since the start of this year, but it was not clear if that was the total number of officers that have been laid off or if the number of pending cases is even close to the number.