Sheriff departments split $1.21 million

Special to the Avalanche

The Brewster County Sheriff’s Department will receive $800,000 and Presidio County Sheriff’s Department will get $410,000 in Operation Stonegarden grants awarded to several counties on the Texas-Mexico border, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

A total of $4.13 million for five counties in Congressional District 23 will come from the 2008 appropriations bill, thanks in part to language inserted in the bill by Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, D-District 23.

“As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I have the ability to gain funding for projects in Brewster and Presidio counties, Alpine and the other communities in my district,” Rodriguez said. “The money that our sheriffs will receive will help to protect our families and communities in our border counties.”

Operation Stonegarden, which began as a pilot program in 2005, provides federal dollars to reimburse local law enforcement for costs incurred while working with federal law enforcement agencies at U.S. borders. These costs can include overtime pay, fuel and vehicle maintenance that otherwise would come out of local budgets.

The totals received by area

sheriff’s departments:

$800,000 for Brewster County

$410,000 for Presidio County

$1.4 million for Maverick County

$130,000 for Kinney County

$1.39 million for Val Verde County