Texas' Top Cop McCraw Hangs Up His Hat

Austin, TX - After a rip-roarin' 15 years as Texas' top lawman, Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw announced his retirement on Friday. He dropped the bombshell at a cadet graduation ceremony at Great Hill Baptist Church, with Governor Greg Abbott in attendance.

McCraw, who started as a humble highway patrol trooper in 1977, climbed the ranks before jumping ship to the FBI. He served as a special agent in Dallas, DC, and San Antonio, only to return to the Lone Star State as Homeland Security Director.

This Texan tough guy stood tall alongside Abbott during updates on everything from wild weather to the border influx. But it was the Uvalde school shooting in 2022 that thrust him into the spotlight—and not always in a good way.

McCraw initially praised law enforcement's response, but that narrative crumbled faster than a bad batch of Tex-Mex. Turns out, officers waited a gut-wrenching 77 minutes before taking down the shooter. Families have been demanding answers ever since, and DPS just reinstated an officer they'd planned to fire over the whole mess.

In an interview with the American-Statesman and KVUE, McCraw admitted DPS had some level of culpability, but stopped short of a full-blown mea culpa.

McCraw headed back to state government in 2004, taking charge of Governor Rick Perry's homeland security office. Five years later, he assumed the helm at DPS, earning the title of colonel.

Just last year, the Public Safety Commission gave McCraw a hefty 15% raise, bumping his salary to a cool $345,250. “We cannot pay you enough to do this important job,” gushed commission chair Steven P. Mach last August.

And so, with a final tip of his Stetson, McCraw rides off into the sunset, leaving behind a Texas-sized legacy of good, bad, and plenty of gutsy.