AUSTIN — The Department of Public Safety said Thursday an operation to help Dallas law enforcement combat violent crime has ended, just three months after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the assistance.

The influx of state troopers drew criticism from some residents and a city councilman, who called for the operation’s end after hearing complaints that enforcement was unfairly targeting people of color, The Dallas Morning News reported. In August, two troopers fatally shot a Dallas man who the agency said pulled a handgun after a traffic stop, the News reported.

DPS Director Steve McCraw said the operation ended Sept. 1 and achieved its goal to prevent crime.

“It's amazing how thankful the public is and the overwhelming majority of the public appreciated us being there,” he said Thursday after a meeting of the Public Safety Commission. “Certainly there's been some that don't appreciate it, usually the ones that are arrested or have relatives arrested, and we understand that. But the whole point of being there was crime prevention, and not enforcement, and that was the objective and I think we have achieved it very well.”

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The operation in Dallas is one of several in which state troopers have been dispatched to help city police combat crime. An initiative in San Antonio is ongoing, McCraw said.

Abbott dedicated an additional 15 state troopers to San Antonio’s Violent Crime Task Force in 2017, bringing the agency's total participation to 31 officials. At the time, city police said they didn’t request or need the help, but still, they welcomed it.

San Antonio Police Lt. Jesse Salame said Thursday the task force is still at work with help from eight state troopers. “There is no end date in sight and we hope to continue our partnership with them,” he said in a statement.

At the request of the Dallas Police Chief, Abbott directed state troopers to the city in June to help combat a spike in murders and violent crime. During a presentation to the Public Safety Commission Thursday, Regional Director Jeoffry Williams said the 12-week “Operation D-town” led to over 1,000 arrests, including 500 for felony offenses. He didn’t address community concerns or the officer-involved shooting.

amorris@express-news.net