County awarded $3.3 million

POSTED: 11:05 PM CDT Jul 28, 2015

WESLACO -
The Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office is planning to sit down with Border Patrol to figure out how to divide money between local police departments and county constables. There is about $1.3 million less to divide up this fiscal year than last.

Last year, the Department of Homeland Security awarded Hidalgo County with more than $4.6 million. This year they awarded just $3.3 million.

Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra said Congressman Henry Cuellar called him today to tell him why the amount was lower.

Guerra said Cuellar was able to get the county more last year, because of the immigration crisis happening along the border last summer.

The $4.6 million has not been spent, but it has already been divided between different law enforcement agencies.

The sheriff said those same departments have submitted wish lists to get a piece of the 2015 grant funding. He’ll sit down with Border Patrol to figure out how to divide the money.

“We get together, and we decide on what areas along our border… to spend the money on,” Guerra said.

Operation Stonegarden is a federal program for law enforcement agencies that protect the border. Texas gets $20 million out of the $55 million available. Arizona got $11.7 million and California received $9.3 million.

Last year was the largest sum of money that Hidalgo County has ever received from Operation Stonegarden. The most money went to the sheriff’s office, followed by Edinburg, Hidalgo, Mission and Pharr police departments. They each received $300,000.

http://www.krgv.com/news/local-news/...go-Co/34411966