Padre Island

Duration: 0:13:54

Year Published: 1960

Format: 16mm

Sound: sound

Description: This short film is equal parts tourism advertisement for San Padre Island and traffic safety film.Mixing stories of young couples at the beach with the amusingly annotated history of San Padre Island, this popular travel destination is presented as a fun and exciting retreat. Intermingled with shots of beautiful horizons and sandy beaches is a message about the importance of highway safety and the duties of the island’s beach patrol. A short message from Homer Garrison, Jr., Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, concludes the film.Established by the Texas Legislature on August 10, 1935, the Texas Department of Public Safety was created by the consolidation of the Texas Highway Motor Patrol with the Texas Rangers. Since that time, its duties have grown to include such activities as the state licensing of drivers, vehicle inspection, narcotics enforcement, and the State Civil Defense Office, (now the Division of Emergency Management,) which aids local governments during times of natural disaster or social upheaval. While its duties have evolved over time, the mission of the DPS has remained constant - to provide public safety services to those people in the state of Texas by enforcing laws, administering regulatory programs, managing records, educating the public, and managing emergencies, both directly and through interaction with other agencies.