Gov. Greg Abbott expands a Houston task force targeting repeat offenders to DFW, Austin, and San Antonio after hundreds of arrests and major drug seizures.
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott is expanding a Houston-based effort targeting repeat violent offenders to some of Texas’ largest metro areas.
Abbott announced he’s directing the Texas Department of Public Safety to grow the Texas Repeat Offender Task Force into Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin. The task force is a joint operation involving federal, state, and local law enforcement aimed at identifying and arresting repeat offenders.
The program launched in Houston in October 2025, and Abbott says it’s already showing results.
Since then, authorities have arrested 728 repeat offenders, including 455 considered high-threat. Officers have also encountered 155 known gang members and arrested members tied to groups like MS-13, the Bloods, the Crips, and Puro Tango Blast.
Investigators have also seized drugs, weapons, and stolen vehicles. That includes more than 225,000 lethal doses of fentanyl, 115 pounds of methamphetamine, 7 pounds of cocaine, and 415 pounds of marijuana. The task force has also made 110 weapon seizures, 12 currency seizures, and recovered 25 stolen vehicles.
Abbott says the expansion is aimed at tackling what he calls a “revolving door” of repeat offenders — people who commit crimes, are released, and then reoffend.
“Most violent crime is committed by repeat offenders,” Abbott wrote in a letter to DPS Director Colonel Freeman Martin. “Targeting these dangerous perpetrators reduces crime, increases safety, and better protects Texans.”
The expanded task force will coordinate with local and federal partners in the new metro areas, focusing on identifying priority offenders and using intelligence-driven operations to remove them from communities.
Abbott also pointed to recent bail reform laws he signed, calling them part of a broader effort to keep repeat offenders behind bars.
Those measures include allowing prosecutors to appeal certain bail decisions, limiting how bail funds can be used, increasing transparency in early criminal cases, and requiring judges to deny bail for some of the most serious crimes when public safety is at risk.
Abbott says the goal is straightforward: to back law enforcement and prevent repeat offenders from committing more crimes.
Got a news tip or story idea? Email us at newstips@khou.com or call 713-521-4310 and include your name and the best way to reach you.