BELL COUNTY, Texas — Thanks to a federal grant from around two-and-a-half years ago, the Bell County Sheriff’s Department has unveiled two new vehicles they say they can use to keep officers, and the community, safe.
One of the new vehicles was a $100,000 boat, which Bell County Sheriff Eddy Lange says has actually already been in service, and will likely be a helpful life-saving device to respond rapidly to dangers on Belton Lake or other waterways in the county.
The other new tool at the Sheriff's Department's disposal is a quarter-of-a-million-dollar, 19,000-pound high-powered SWAT vehicle, which Lange says will be able to protect officers and respond to a variety of situations.
"It can be used in any number of situations," said Lange. "The hot situations that everyone is talking about now of course are school shootings and church shootings even like we had over the weekend. And this is just a vehicle to help us there if we have, I say 'if', when we have one of those situations, we have now the capability of not only breaching a building if we have to, but transporting our SWAT members and other peace officers closer to the area and keep them safe at the same time."
Texas Congressman John Carter, who represents the 31st Congressional District, was reportedly instrumental in getting taxpayer funding for the new equipment, saying the next election will be "all about crime".
“This whole concern, and this election is about a lot of concern; the border concern, the crime in the street, that's all about our safety," said Carter. "We should feel safe in our homes and our schools and our churches and in the public places we go!"
In addition to the new equipment, Carter also went on the record for who he's endorsing on ‘Super Tuesday.’
"Trump endorsed me so I'm endorsing Trump," said Carter.
More local stories from 6 News: