Thread: TX: Lack of cash halts efforts by county to secure border

Lack of cash halts efforts by county to secure border
By Brandi Grissom / Austin Bureau
Article Launched: 01/12/2008 06:44:57 PM MST


AUSTIN -- Border security operations in El Paso County and some other counties are on hold while local law enforcement departments await more grant money and instructions from the state to re-up their patrols.
"Everything is at a standstill right now," said Commander Claudio "Tony" Morales, who is in charge of border security operations in the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. "We're not being funded currently."

State agencies are already putting to work their portion of $110 million legislators approved last year to increase security on the Texas-Mexico border. Gov. Rick Perry, though, has only sent about $2 million in grants to local departments for border operations.

A Perry spokeswoman said officials are working to make the grant process easier for counties and are between major border mobilizations right now. But, she said, more operations and more money to local departments are "forthcoming."

Meanwhile, some sheriffs and the Texas Border Sheriffs' Coalition, which have been participating in state-led border security efforts since their inception in 2005, are already out of state money.

"Time is of the essence," said Donald Reay, executive director of the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition.

Border security operations in Texas had their genesis with border county sheriffs who collaborated to lobby lawmakers for money to pay officers to work more hours in rural "hot spots" for criminal activity.

Since 2006, Perry has spent about $18 million in state money on border security, and more than $8 million of that went to local police and sheriffs.
In May, legislators set aside $110 million to continue and expand border security efforts.

About $44.4 million of that was for the Texas Department of Public Safety, about $2.1 million for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and about $6.5 million for the governor's emergency management division to coordinate operations.

The remaining $57 million was earmarked for grants to law enforcement agencies and the Texas National Guard. Lawmakers, however, stipulated that a newly created Texas Border Security Council would make recommendations on how that money should be spent and tracked. The 11-member council's report is not expected until this spring.

Reay said local departments and the sheriffs' coalition cannot apply for more state grant money until the Border Security Council issues its report detailing who can get the dollars and how they are to be used.

Some departments, he said, still have federal grant money they are using to continue stepped-up border work. Those funds will be available until April. Others, he said, have had to cut back on overtime pay for officers working border operations.

"We had hoped to be fully operational on the new (Operation) Border Star by January," he said. "Frankly, that hasn't happened."

Operation Border Star is a multi-agency border operation in which state, local and federal officers plan to share intelligence information and work together to prevent border crime.

El Paso County's Morales said the department doesn't have money to work the increased patrols for Operation Border Star, and fewer patrols, he said, could mean more crime in the El Paso area.

"They're (criminals) watching us," he said. "When they see there's less emphasis on law enforcement, of course crime starts creeping up."

Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle said operations are in a "steady state" now. The governor's homeland security department, she said, made an agreement with the Border Security Council to allow local law enforcement agencies to access grant money if it is needed to continue border operations.

"They made it clear we are not to impede border security operations," Castle said.

Some agencies, Castle said, are conducting increased border patrols with the help of state grants. But she said departments that have run out of state money will not be able to get more until the next major mobilization of border operations.

That, she said, could happen before the council's report is finalized.

The Border Security Council conducted hearings along the border and in South Texas last year to get an understanding of the state's security needs.

Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos, chairman of the council, said the report should be completed by late spring.

Cascos said the council's goal is not to procrastinate but to ensure limited dollars for border security are spent wisely.

"We don't want agencies asking for money just for the sake of asking for money with no internal controls," he said.

Meanwhile, DPS and the parks department are moving ahead and spending their border security dollars.

DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said that department has spent about $1.2 million to hire new officers and promote others who will be stationed near the Rio Grande.

In total, he said, 106 new troopers, pilots, investigators and Texas Rangers will be assigned to the border.

Nearly half of the DPS money, $20.9 million, will be used to purchase and operate four new helicopters, which have been ordered but have not yet arrived, Vinger said.

The helicopters will be stationed in El Paso, Alpine, Laredo and Del Rio and should be in place by this fall.

"That's going to eat up a big chunk of money," he said.

Most of the Parks & Wildlife Department's funds were meant for hiring new game wardens. Col. Peter Flores, chief game warden, said 15 new wardens are already in the training academy and will be out in the field by this summer.

"They will be stationed anywhere along the border from El Paso County all the way down to Cameron," he said.

Game wardens, who are also trained police officers, don't just keep the peace in parks, Flores said. They work remote, rural ranching areas in four-wheel-drive trucks and use boats to patrol state waterways.

Since the border territory in Texas is mostly rural ranchland and is delineated by the Rio Grande, he said, game wardens play a key role in helping prevent border crime.

"We are Texas' response off the pavement," Flores said.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_7955380

Just more Perry deceit. All the promisses of I'm going to do this and I'm going to do that, just give me the money. Our last legislative session ended April 2007. 8 months ago and they can't figure out how to distribute the money?

Perry never intended on securing the border. This Border Security Council is probably a big fat OBL joke too. Packed with people that will waste the money and not do anything to stop illegal immigration. Some of the money is to be spent on "economic development". Hmmmn, for TCC roads and illegal alien colonies on US soil?

"AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry appointed eleven to the Texas Border Security Council to serve at the pleasure of the governor. "
http://www.governor.state.tx.us/divisio ... 09-11.1129

11 Perry Puppets or should I say, SPP Puppets.

Dixie