Abbott calls for 500 more troopers in border region

By Peggy Fikac | February 4, 2014 | Updated: February 4, 2014 6:12pm

DALLAS – Attorney General Greg Abbott proposed a nearly $345 million plan Tuesday that he said would make Texans more secure, in part by sending 500 more troopers to the border region.

In addition to moves that he said would boost border security, Abbott's plan would address school safety, sex offenses, child kidnapping and domestic violence.

"As governor, it's incredibly important that we have extensive plans where we ensure safety for our fellow Texans," Abbott said at a news conference at New Friends New Life, which helps girls who were trafficked and sexually exploited women and their children.

Abbott said he believed the plan's cost could be covered at least in part by increased seizures and fewer costs to the state for such things as incarceration.
When pressed about how he would pay for the plan, Abbott said simply that it would come from state general revenue and that it would be among his budget priorities, along with education, transportation and infrastructure. The Republican attorney general said state revenue is going up on its own, and he ruled out new taxes.

On the border, his campaign said his proposal would double state general-revenue funding for the Texas Department of Public Safety. Abbott said it would add the 500 additional troopers over a four-year period and said they would be part of a continuous border surge operation involving 1,000 DPS personnel. His plan also includes additional vehicles, a new airplane and new boats.

For schools, Abbott's plan would allow open-enrollment charter schools to appoint peace officers and provide free "active shooter response" training to marshals and officers at all schools.

Abbott also proposed providing comprehensive care to children who are victims of sex trafficking; funding crime lab testing of sexual assault evidence; and ensuring that sex offenders register before their release.

The Davis campaign responded by contending that Abbott has a "hostile" record on immigration issues, pointing to his 2010 support of Arizona's immigration law and his statement that the law allowing certain immigrants to get in-state tuition is flawed in its implementation, though noble in its goal.

"Actions speak louder than words, and Greg Abbott's actions are downright hostile," said campaign spokeswoman Rebecca Acuña. "Greg Abbott's positions don't vary much from the 'stop the invasion' rhetoric we're hearing from his allies.

... Unlike Greg Abbott, Senator Davis has a strong record of fighting for all Texans."

Abbott also was asked about the controversy that has dogged his expected general election opponent, Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis, over details of her life story

"It's time to move beyond all this," he added. "It's time that we exactly what I'm doing today, and that is focusing on the issues that matter most to Texans."

http://www.chron.com/news/politics/texas/article/Abbott-calls-for-500-more-troopers-in-border-5204077.php?cmpid=hpbn