FALFURRIAS, Texas–A donation from Texas Border Volunteers will put three more non-paid deputies on patrol in Brooks County near the town of Falfurrias. Currently the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office can only afford to pay about one deputy per shift in a county of over 900 square miles. This is nearly the size of the state of Rhode Island.
Rancher Linda Vickers presented a $900 check on behalf of the organization to the Border Brotherhood of Texas, an organization of volunteer certified police officers who donate their off-duty time to serve as non-paid deputies in Brooks County. The check was accepted by Border Brotherhood of Texas founder, Donna Independent School District Acting Police Chief Daniel Walden.
“This money enables us to save lives in Brooks County by putting three more deputies on the streets,” Chief Walden said. “The money goes to pay for a uniform, a bullet-proof vest and the required bond certificate necessary to enable Brooks County to swear in the non-paid deputies.”
“We appreciate the time and effort these brave volunteers are putting into our county,” Linda Vickers said. “We want these licensed police officers to be able to patrol our highways both to protect our ranches and to save the lives of those who get lost trying to cross these ranches.”
Vickers explained that on Friday she walked out of her door to find herself face-to-face with a 25-year-old man she later learned was from El Salvador. At the time, sheriff’s deputies were tied up with recovering the body of an illegal immigrant who died walking through another ranch on the other side of the main highway. She contacted Border Patrol who responded to detain and take custody of the man.
She said that in this case, the man she encountered appeared to be a well-meaning man who grew up in a fairly well-to-do family in El Salvador. He was headed to Houston and said that he has a brother in New York. Often, Vickers said, the people she finds are not quite so nice. For that reason, she never leaves her front door without her cellphone, her concealed weapon, and her three very large dogs who alert her to the presence of anyone who should not be there.
It is often said that illegal immigration is a federal issue, but the dangers faced by Vickers and other ranchers in South Texas reveals that this truly is a Texas problem.
Breitbart Texas was engaged in a ride-along with the police officers who volunteer their off-duty time to serve as non-paid deputies for the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Walden is a volunteer reserve deputy for Brooks County. In his regular job, he serves as acting police chief of the Donna Independent School District Police Department. He has organized the Border Brotherhood of Texas, a group of sworn police officers who are volunteering their time to help the distressed Brooks County Sheriff’s Office.
Bob Price is a staff writer and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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