Pat McLaughlin III, Director of Governmental Affairs for Brown County, issued the following press release Wednesday afternoon:

Largely in response to the May 24, 2022 Uvalde school shooting at Robb Elementary, Governor Greg Abbott announced the allocation of $50 million for a statewide Bullet/Ballistic-Resistant Shield Grant Program that will provide local eligible jurisdictions with the chance to access grant funding to address active shooter barricade situations. Pat McLaughlin, Brown Counties Director of Governmental Affairs, in concert with the Office of the Governor of Texas secured $68,595.00 of grant funding for 15 Level III+ Ballistic Shields for the Brown County Sheriff’s Department.

“Funding is and will always continue to be an issue but partnering with the state to be able to purchase these shields is huge,” stated Brown County Sheriff Vance Hill. “Having this protective equipment makes me feel more comfortable knowing that the deputies will have immediate protection and could prevent hesitation in breaching a door if there’s an active shooter. The more protection they can have, the better.”

Officers who can receive these shields must have either 16 hours of ALERRT training (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training) in the past two years or commit to attending in the next two years, the governor’s release said. ALERRT is designed to equip first responders with effective strategies to respond to active attack events. The ALERRT training is provided by veteran first responders with proven experience in active attack response and has served more than 200,000 first responders across the nation.

“Brown County is excited to work hand in hand with the Governor’s office to secure equipment and training for our front-line law enforcement officers. We will continue to do all we can to maintain the safety for our children, teachers and schools in Brown County,” said Shane Britton, Brown County Judge.