Commissioners adopt resolution to apply for motor vehicle crime grant, sheriff outlines staffing and camera plans

The Tom Green County Commissioners Court on April 15 voted to adopt a resolution supporting a grant application to the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority to fund a motor vehicle theft investigator.

Sheriff Hanna told the court the grant would allow the sheriff’s office to dedicate one investigator to stolen-vehicle and trailer investigations, and that the sheriff’s office intends to join a multiagency task force with the San Angelo Police Department and other federal partners. Hanna said the county currently has eight investigators and a lieutenant in the unit and that assigning a dedicated investigator would shift some duties away from narcotics and general detective work.

Hanna described planned use of license-plate-reading (LPR) cameras — referred to in the meeting as “flock” cameras — deployed by the Texas Department of Public Safety and county partners. He said those cameras will generate alerts when a vehicle of interest passes and that he expects an increase in stolen-vehicle apprehensions if the cameras and a dedicated investigator are combined. “I anticipate we’re going to have an increase in our stolen vehicle apprehensions,” Hanna said.

The sheriff and commissioners discussed financial and staffing implications. The sheriff said the grant’s award period would begin September 1, 2025, and that, if the grant is awarded, the county would need to cover a one-month matching amount estimated at about $1,650 prior to the state fiscal year alignment. Hanna said the full-year match and budget details were discussed with staff; the transcript lists additional figures (for example, $19,008.98) but the meeting record did not present a single, fully detailed budget table for the court to review during the discussion.

Commissioners asked how the county would sustain the position if grant funding ended. Hanna said the county could attempt to absorb the investigator through attrition or by reassigning positions, but that no long-term guarantee exists: “If the grant goes away, then I assume the position would have to go away,” he said. He also said the state would monitor the position and that the office plans to evaluate the position’s effectiveness after a year or two.

The court moved, seconded and voted to adopt the resolution supporting the grant application. No roll-call vote or individual tallies were recorded in the meeting minutes; the chair called for voices in favor and the motion carried.

The court’s action authorizes staff to pursue the grant application and to provide the required local match if the grant is awarded. The sheriff said the city council was considering a related request the same morning.

Ending: The county will pursue the application and revisit staffing and budget details if the grant is awarded; the award period is expected to begin Sept. 1, 2025, if granted.