County approves purchase of SWAT vehicle

Commissioners Court unanimously approved purchasing the Lenco BearCat Armored Transporter after learning $50,000 would come from the Sheriff’s Department drug forfeiture fund with the remaining balance to be financed for about four to five years.

The sister of a Cameron County sheriff’s deputy who was critically injured in a shooting in La Paloma issued a plea to the Commissioners Court to purchase the $200,000 S.W.A.T. vehicle for the department.

Although a S.W.A.T. armored truck may not have prevented her brother Angel Perez from getting shot, it could prevent injuries to other deputies in the future, Susan Rodriguez said during Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting.

“I would hate for something else to happen only because they don’t have the proper vehicle,” Rodriguez told the court referring to the Sheriff’s Department S.W.A.T. team members who were present at the meeting.

Perez was shot in the face on June 1 while helping serve a warrant in La Paloma and remains hospitalized at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen.

Some S.W.A.T. members have said the incident was mishandled and botched.

The approval garnished a round of applause from the audience.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Edna Tamayo was not present at Tuesday’s meeting.

Cascos said he has always supported the S.W.A.T., but was concerned how the county would pay for the $200,000 vehicle.

“The issue was not whether the need was there,” Cascos said.

It will take about 210 days before the county to can actually get its hands on the vehicle.

Sheriff Omar Lucio said he has no problem with the S.W.A.T vehicle being housed at either the San Benito or Harlingen county annex.

In other business, Commissioners unanimously voted to appeal a denial from the Texas General Land Office to reimburse the county $100,000 for beach clean up at Boca Chica Beach.

Officials learned this month that their application to receive reimbursements from the State was deemed ineligible.

The county missed the Jan. 3 and Feb. 3 deadlines in which it had to submit the necessary reimbursement forms, a letter from the Texas General Land Office read.

County Parks Director Javier Mendez said employees in his department “did not send out the application on time.”

The General Land Office didn’t receive the application until April 12.

Mendez said county officials have contacted State Rep. Rene Oliveria, D-Brownsville, and Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville for assistance in trying to get General Land Office officials to reverse their decision.

Cascos also sent a letter to Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson seeking assistance.