Harris County - good news

[RHenriksen]

I received a call from a staffer in Sen. Gallegos' office. She was following up on my complaint to her on Monday about slow CHL app processing.

She told me that yesterday, during her conversation with a DPS contact, that DPS has hired an additional 35 people to work on processing CHL applications. I asked her to clarify whether these new hires were for the entire state, or just for Harris County? She replied that those 35 people were specifically for Harris County.

That's such an astonishing number that it's hard to believe. I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I'm old & cynical enough to wonder if there may have been a miscommunication? If only LEO can process CHL background checks, surely they wouldn't have 35 LEOs all crunching BG, would they?

Still, I have to say:

[bb281]

I hope this speeds up the process......

[joe817]

Gosh I wouldn't think so, but who knows???

Besides if new resources are devoted to Harris Co, then that eases the burden of all the other processor's there to focus on ever body else! And I think that's a good thing.

[dwdog]

The way they are lately, I don't know if I would believe them, but if they did hire that many, then I hope the same is happening for Galveston County, but I doubt it.

[Cowboyrob]

I received a call from a staffer in Sen. Gallegos' office. She was following up on my complaint to her on Monday about slow CHL app processing.

She told me that yesterday, during her conversation with a DPS contact, that DPS has hired an additional 35 people to work on processing CHL applications. I asked her to clarify whether these new hires were for the entire state, or just for Harris County? She replied that those 35 people were specifically for Harris County.

That's such an astonishing number that it's hard to believe. I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I'm old & cynical enough to wonder if there may have been a miscommunication? If only LEO can process CHL background checks, surely they wouldn't have 35 LEOs all crunching BG, would they?

Still, I have to say:

That's interesting. Have to say I don"t believe it for a minute!

[USA1]

I received a call from a staffer in Sen. Gallegos' office. She was following up on my complaint to her on Monday about slow CHL app processing.

She told me that yesterday, during her conversation with a DPS contact, that DPS has hired an additional 35 people to work on processing CHL applications. I asked her to clarify whether these new hires were for the entire state, or just for Harris County? She replied that those 35 people were specifically for Harris County.

That's such an astonishing number that it's hard to believe. I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but I'm old & cynical enough to wonder if there may have been a miscommunication? If only LEO can process CHL background checks, surely they wouldn't have 35 LEOs all crunching BG, would they?

Still, I have to say:

That's interesting. Have to say I don"t believe it for a minute!

dont rain on my parade ...since that other kind of hope didnt work out ,
this is all i have to cling to besides my guns and religion ..
not that i believed that other hope

[joe817]

Well the hiring of additional staff, ties in to what was said in the June section of the forum a couple of weeks ago:

"Re: June 2009 Applications

Post by northroad » Tue Jun 30, 2009 4:13 pm
Just dropped mine off in person at the DPS

They had a big sign in sheet of 30 or so temp employees and it was labeled concealed handgun licensing. So they are getting help!"

[dicion]

Ah, but that person dropped it off in Austin IIRC.

Supposedly these people were hired in Harris County?

Also, under current law (changes in september), only DPS Officers can conduct the background checks. They can't hire temps to do it.
Temps can work on the application filing, and other administrative work at Austin, sure... but they can't run the checks, So I don't see this being true for Harris County, where the big delay is the Background Checks.

... I'll believe it when I see Harris County Plastic being delivered inside the 60 day time frame as required by law.

[joe817]

Ah, but that person dropped it off in Austin IIRC.

Supposedly these people were hired in Harris County?

Also, under current law (changes in september), only DPS Officers can conduct the background checks. They can't hire temps to do it. Temps can work on the application filing, and other administrative work at Austin, sure... but they can't run the checks, So I don't see this being true for Harris County, where the big delay is the Background Checks.

... I'll believe it when I see Harris County Plastic being delivered inside the 60 day time frame as required by law.

Yes he dropped off the paperwork in Austin. But the point I'm trying to make is that DPS Austin is beefing up staffing to handle the work load better. And I didn't see anything in the post about additional DPS personnel working in Harris county, to help Harris county with their workload......maybe I'm missing something here.

[dicion]

Joe18: Here's what I'm referring to when I say that they said that it was Specifically for Harris Co:

She told me that yesterday, during her conversation with a DPS contact, that DPS has hired an additional 35 people to work on processing CHL applications. I asked her to clarify whether these new hires were for the entire state, or just for Harris County? She replied that those 35 people were specifically for Harris County.

The only way they can hire people to just work on Harris County Applications, is to hire them in the Harris county Local office...

Otherwise, how do they know which envelopes have Harris County residents or people that work there in them before they open them?

My point is, them saying "She replied that those 35 people were specifically for Harris County." is bunk.
I believe that they hired 35 more people in Austin to handle applications, sure.
They could even say they hired them because of the surge of applications, specifically from Harris CO, but they're going to work on ALL applications, not just Harris County ones.

Will this speed up the time between when they receive the package, and it goes to 'Processing Application'? Sure it will, and that's good!
Will it affect the Harris County Background delays at all? No, and this is where the Largest delay is.

[joe817]

I understand what you are saying and agree with you. It won't help the Harris co. people in Harris co. at all....UNLESS Harris county beefs up their staff. That would be great, but I don't see it happening....but then again, I'm not in Houston.

[dicion]

It probably won't happen until September, when the law changes to allow non-LEO to do background checks.

Then they can use office staffers to do them, and hire more as necessary.

[infoman]

I guess I should chim in too, it's true that currently only commissioned officers(troopers) can do the county level bg checks. If this changes, it won't be until September at the earliest. The other thing is that every summer they hire many temporary employees, so they can appear caught up by September, then they let them go. So by next spring(if not Christmas) there will be another big backlog again. But for now, only troopers can do the local background checks. Dps needs to hire 35 people full time year round, so they stay caught up year round. that's my two cents worth..

[joe817]

And two cents worth well taken infoman. My personal opinion? Demand for CHL's will not slack off or ease up. Maybe demand will increase even more to these "record" levels.

I say "record" levels because it seems to me they are. But again it's only my opinion. We are dealing with state government, not free enterprise business. So they can't just go out and hire more people(except via temps, which isn't a permanent solution). Because they are under budgetary constraints. If they didn't put them in the budget, they are hindered by law not to hire them. They simply can't(as I understand it).

And compound that with the dismal economy that we are experiencing, DPS is caught between a rock and a hard place. I honestly don't know what the answer is, except to go with the flow......as difficult as it is.

Now that's my 2 cents worth.

[dicion]

So they can't just go out and hire more people(except via temps, which isn't a permanent solution). Because they are under budgetary constraints. If they didn't put them in the budget, they are hindered by law not to hire them. They simply can't(as I understand it).

The problem with that logic, is that, with more applications, they are getting MUCH MORE $$$.

I read somewhere that they've already hit 35,000 applications this year.

Even if EVERY SINGLE ONE of them was Half-Off Vereran price ($70), thats 2.45 Million Dollars. 5 million at full price.

They have the money to hire the people. Budgets can be modified, money can be shuffled. I work with Government agencies every day, if they want it to happen, it can happen.