Senator Jose Rodriguez urges Public Integrity Unit to reopen probe of DPS contracts
A Texas senator on Wednesday requested that the embattled Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney’s office re-open its investigation into $20 million in no-bid border security contracts awarded by the Department of Public Safety to the private defense firm Abrams Learning and Information Systems (ALIS) between 2006 and 2010.
The unit, which investigates cases of public corruption, ended its probe of the contracts in 2013, when then-Gov. Rick Perry vetoed funding for the unit after Travis County DA Rosemary Lehmberg refused to step down following a drunk driving conviction, according to prosecutor Gregg Cox, who heads the section that oversees the unit. Perry was later indicted on abuse of power charges related to a threat to veto the unit’s funds.
Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, said in a letter to Cox that the ALIS contracts were awarded “without meaningful performance or accountability measures” and “raise significant concerns about the transparency of DPS’ bidding and procurement processes.”
“Your office found sufficient reason to begin an investigation,” Rodriguez wrote. “Given the millions of dollars invested in these border security contracts, the people of the State of Texas deserve an accounting that is not cut short by a politically-motivated decision, which itself is under investigation.”
Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/senator-urges-public-integrity-unit-to-reopen-prob/nkt73/
[font color=green]More corruption during the Perry administration--what a surprise. 
The question is whether the Travis County PIU will be transferred to the Texas Rangers (part of DPS) and the probe will stay closed.[/font]