Outside of the Department of Public Safety, there are 819 commissioned police working in 16 bureaucracies across the state, according to Texas Commission on Law Enforcement data obtained through the state’s open-records law.
The attorney general accounts for more than 19 percent of them, behind only the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which employs 309 police officers.
Each agency has its own reasons and policies for employing police, and pay can vary widely.
The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, which licenses and regulates dentists, employs 11 commissioned police officers. Those officers must purchase and maintain their own guns, but the board reimburses ammunition costs.
Source: Many Texas government agencies employ police — even the dental board | Dallas Morning News