COLDSPRING — San Jacinto County has been awarded a grant that will enable area law enforcement personnel to create a task force to battle a growing drug trade and influx of illegal immigrants.
Sheriff Greg Capers said the county will receive an Operation Lone Star grant for $1,260,589.26.
The County has been eligible for the grant since the County Commissioners Court declared a local disaster on June 14, 2023, stating that more than 3.4 million illegal aliens had unlawfully entered the United States., that Customs and Border Protection had discovered 108 known terrorists, and 107,622 American citizens killed by opioids and fentanyl which has been smuggled into the USA.
That declaration allowed the county to request the aid of the state to stop this combat what the Sheriff’s Office deems as an “invasion” by creating a multi-county task force for interdiction of drug and human trafficking.
“I look forward to implementing this task force as soon as possible and am extremely proud of the support from County Judge Fritz Faulkner and County Commissioners who approved this measure,” Capers said. “I also offer my heartfelt gratitude to the several hundred residents of San Jacinto County who urged and supported the passage of this measure.”
This task force that will be based out of the SJC Sheriff’s Office and will begin operations in a four-county area north of Houston (San Jacinto, Polk, Liberty, and Montgomery counties) with growth into additional counties expected once the task force is formalized.
There already are OLS Sheriff’s task force operations ongoing in South and West Texas, and another is spinning up in Central Texas.
To assist in those efforts, the Commissioners Court recently approved the purchase of five new Chevrolet Tahoe Police pursuit vehicles specially designed for law enforcement vehicles.
Capers commended the staff and administration of the Sheriff’s Office for their work in securing grants to help bolster the safety and security of the county.
