Hays County Sheriff's Office applies for bullet-resistant shield grant

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Hays County Sheriff's Office said it applied for a state grant to get more bullet-resistant shields for the county.

It's part of Gov. Greg Abbott's Bullet-Resistant Shield Grant Program. Last month, the governor announced the Governor’s Public Safety Office (PSO) was accepting applications from law enforcement agencies for Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) travel assistance and the Bullet-Resistant Shield Grant Program for fiscal year 2023. 

There was $3 million for travel expenses to send law enforcement officers to ALERRT active shooter training and $50 million for bullet-resistant shields.

The Hays County Sheriff's Office is just one law enforcement agency that applied for the program.

Hays County Deputy Anthony Hipolito said while there's no guarantee they'll get approved for the grant, he is excited about the possibility of getting these shields.

"Funding is and will always continue to be an issue, but partnering with the state to be able to get these shields is huge," Hipolito said.

Hipolito said he doesn't know how many shields the county could get. But if approved, he said once they get that number they'll be able to figure out how to distribute them.

"What's the best way to deploy the shield to where if an event does happen in Hays County, is that equipment readily available? Where can it best be used?" Hipolito said.

Officers who can receive these shields must have either 16 hours of ALERRT training in the past two years or commit to attending in the next two years, the governor’s release said.

KXAN's Sarah Al-Shaikh will have more on this story. You can watch on KXAN News at 5 p.m.