Posted on 01/23/2006 8:27:30 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
DEL RIO — Three months after Gov. Rick Perry breathed life — in the form of nearly $6 million in state criminal justice grants — into a border security operation conceived by 16 sheriffs, the officials are putting the money to use.
The grant terms are simple: The Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition gets the $6 million to fund Operation Linebacker to help back up federal border law enforcement efforts. The only restrictions are that no weapons or ammunition can be bought with Linebacker funds.
"This is the front door to the United States; it is no longer the back door," Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio said.
The approximately $367,500 for each border county sheriff was meant to boost the capabilities of their departments to secure their section of the border.
A survey shows that most departments are adding manpower through overtime shifts and are buying new vehicles and communications equipment with the grant money.
Throughout the year, sheriffs along the border plan to buy at least 31 vehicles, mostly SUVs.
Although sheriffs embrace the funds, there are back-room rumblings from border police departments and even from within some sheriff's offices that Operation Linebacker is a golden goose for underfunded departments more than it is a border security plan.
When Perry announced the funding, he said the federal government was not doing its job to secure the border. The governor and the sheriffs hoped the money would give Operation Linebacker momentum to be continued by federal funds.
U.S. Reps. John Culberson, R-Houston, and Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, filed a bill in November that would provide direct federal funding to the sheriffs coalition to the tune of $100 million.
Although the fate of that measure is undecided, Culberson secured $5 million in another bill for the border sheriffs, money they could see beginning in April.
"The situation isn't as bad as they're saying. They're using the danger in Mexico to their advantage to fund their departments," said one border city police officer, referring to ongoing drug war violence on the border.
"In the process, they're scaring everyone," said the officer, who asked that his name and department not be used to avoid a breakdown in cooperation with the sheriffs.
Jay Johnson, owner of a Del Rio bed-and-breakfast who dedicates himself to border tourism, said the sheriffs did well to receive the funding, but that they overstated the threat from Mexico.
"I know the sheriff and respect the sheriff, but I believe certain comments paint a picture that's quite unfair when it comes to our sister city of Acuña, even if it does bolster his argument for funds," he said.
The sheriffs — a group of straight-talking, cowboy-hat-wearing men — argue that any improvement to their equipment or increase in their number of shifts automatically bolsters border security, even if many sheriffs aren't putting the extra manpower right on the Rio Grande.
Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West can rattle off the results from the first $14,000 he has spent for overtime shifts: 85 citations, 35 searches, four felony arrests, seven narcotics arrests and 11 undocumented immigrant and two smuggler apprehensions.
El Paso Sheriff Leo Samaniego said, "We're not trying to scare anyone, we're dealing with facts."
Most sheriffs budgeted their money to last for a year.
Sheriff Lupe Treviño of Hidalgo County took a different approach. His department will create a Criminal Illegal Immigrant Unit.
His Operation Linebacker money will pay the salaries of one sergeant and four veteran investigators for the team, lease cars for them and buy cell phones.
Instead of more overtime patrols along the river, the members of the Criminal Illegal Immigrant Unit will focus on follow-up investigations of felonies committed by undocumented immigrants.
"I can do a lot more through investigation than surveillance," Treviño said.
The unit also will ensure that prisoners in the county jail who were in the country illegally are turned over to immigration agents.
"My job is not to back up the Border Patrol," Treviño said. "It is to protect the security of the people of Hidalgo County."
His perspective is different from many of the other sheriffs, however. If federal funds don't come through, he has a good chance of getting his county commissioners to add funds.
In counties with smaller budgets and larger border frontage, any programs or hires would be dissolved if there aren't additional funds.
It's a risk several sheriffs are taking.
Sheriff L.K. Burgess of Kinney County said his county has bought four SUVs and spent the rest on overtime for deputies to patrol the region.
"If we don't get any more money by May," he said, "we're through."
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mcastillo@express-news.net
Border Ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
Operation Linebacker
Does this mean the BUFF's will bomb crossing points and interdict staging area's
We can hope.
Well Said!
All these sheriffs want is for the illegals to sign the guest register. /sarcasm
ping
Need a Big Belly D with all those external 500lbrs
Accomplishes 2 things.
1. Wakes up Mexico
2. Widens and deepens the Rio Grande
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
Jay Johnson..........his reasoning is golden ain't it .....:o)
Yeah ~ he's a piece of work. >:-}
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