AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A bill lawmakers have discussed this month could expand the patrol area for the Texas Department of Public Safety's (DPS) Capitol division. "I've seen some incidents recently around the Capitol that are probably common to residents but to legislators who don't live here, a lot of our visitors, some of our staff, has alarmed me," said Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, who authored the legislation. The Capitol division is in charge of the Capitol grounds, annex buildings and Capitol Mall. Tepper's bill calls for these troopers to also patrol from 10th Street all the way to Lady Bird Lake between Colorado and Brazos Streets, highlighted in the map below. Bill calls for extended patrols for DPS troopers assigned to the Capitol. (Courtesy: Jose Torres) "Homelessness and lawlessness and theft, it's just been festering," Tepper said. "Wanted to try something a little out of the box to alleviate some of the issues we're having at the Capitol building." Austin police chief opposes move "It's not something that I'm for, I don't support it," said Austin Police Department Chief Lisa Davis. "I think it's our responsibility and I think this new team adding numbers to downtown, I think that's going to help." Davis said she has already created a new unit - the downtown Austin response team - to address some of the behavior Tepper is concerned about. Davis formed this group by restructuring a team that would previously run preliminary on-scene investigations before specialized units arrived. "I think it goes beyond the money and politics of it all and for us it's about having pride that this is our area and we're responsible for it," she said. Tepper said the money would come from sales tax generated in the city of Austin, but troopers would still be under the command of Gov. Greg Abbott. This would run differently than how things went when DPS and the city entered a partnership in 2023 to increase DPS patrols citywide. During that program - called the Austin Violent Crimes Task Force - APD staff directed troopers where to patrol. Status of the bill The bill is still currently in committee. There was a hearing about it on March 12. Texas DPS said it cannot comment on pending legislation. The city of Austin provided the following statement: "The City is aware of HB 470 and its current state in Committee. Based on an initial review, the City could be impacted in the areas mentioned." ...read more read less