- 04Jan2021
Texas Governor Appoints Crime Records Chief to SEARCH Membership
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Ms. Michelle D. Farris to the SEARCH Membership Group, effective January 1, 2021.
Ms. Farris is Chief of the newly created Crime Records Division within the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). In late December 2020, the DPS split its Law Enforcement Support Division (LESD) into two entities, the Crime Records Division and Crime Laboratory Division, following the retirement of longtime LESD Chief Mike Lesko.
Ms. Farris succeeds Mr. Lesko as Texas’s governor appointee to SEARCH. Mr. Lesko had served in this role since 2003 and had also served three terms on the SEARCH Board of Directors. In 2010, he was selected by the SEARCH Board for the Gary R. Cooper Meritorious Service Award, which recognized his contributions both to the field of criminal justice information and to the success of SEARCH.
Ms. Farris most recently served as an assistant chief within the LESD, overseeing the Crime Records Service since 2018. She first joined DPS in 1996, was promoted into various leadership roles within the Criminal Histories and Texas Data Exchange areas of Crime Records, and became manager of the Crime Information Bureau in 2010. In 2014, Ms. Farris was promoted to a deputy administrator position and in 2018, she became assistant chief of Crime Records, overseeing Criminal Justice Information Systems and Services (CJIS), including the Computerized Criminal History database, Multi-Modal Biometric Information System, Fingerprint Applicant Services of Texas (FAST), the Sex Offender Registry, TxGang, Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (TLETS), the Texas Crime Information Center (TCIC) and the Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
Ms. Farris also serves as the Texas state representative to Nlets, serves as regional chair, and serves on the Nlets Board of Directors and various committees. She is also vice chair of the FBI Advisory Policy Board’s National Data Exchange subcommittee and is a member of the task force for the next generation of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Farris earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Texas in Austin.
SEARCH welcomes Ms. Farris to the SEARCH Membership and thanks Mr. Lesko for his service.
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