Texas Rangers (Law enforcement, not the team)

Hip-Hop-a-potamus

My rhymes are bottomless
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Hi all--

Ashamed I don't know this, bein' from the state and all, but I want my main law enforcement guy to be a Texas Ranger in the 1930s, on the trail of a killer, but I need to know when the Rangers would be pulled into a case.

Multiple crimes? Multiple counties? There are a couple books on the Rangers on Amazon I'm looking at purchasing, but I just got a new job (yay!) and need to get a first paycheck before investing.

Any ideas? Or connections within the Rangers to give advice? I'm thinking about possibly making this guy a recurring character if I can.

Thanks, y'all.
Suitably embarrassed ex-Texan
 

Collectonian

Inclined to eclectic eccentricity
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No reason to be embarrassed :) If you aren't in law enforcement, it can be confusing. I know they are called in if a case is considered beyond the resources of local law enforcement; i.e. either the local jurisdiction doesn't have the resources, or trying to deal with the one case would leave it unable to perform its regular law enforcement.

They are also seen supporting the National Guard and/or FBI in cases. Basically they are our "SBI." Doing some googling, some sources say they are also called in for cases dealing with organized crime, bank fraud, or governmental/law enforcement corruption.

They have a contact link on their website for asking questions about the Rangers: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/TexasRangers/contact.htm (though depending on what part of the 30s you're talking, you might need to ask at the state library). If you are in the Waco area, definitely visit the Texas Rangers Museum. You'll be able to get a lot of great info for that time frame.
 

Hip-Hop-a-potamus

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You know what's really sad is that I drove by that damned museum over and over again for years (being from Austin and going to school in Denton). Now that I need it, I'm 1600 miles away!

Thanks for the link, guys.