Hays County Commissioners Consider SWAT Team Interlocal Agreement Amendment

By, Terra Rivers, Managing Editor

Hays County Commissioners discussed and considered possible action Tuesday, July 23, on a First Amended Hays County SWAT Team Interlocal Agreement.

In the past, the Hays County Special Weapons and Tactics Unit has been comprised of the Hays County Sheriff’s Office and the San Marcos Police Department.

However, Commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday on an amendment that adds additional law enforcement agencies as parties to the agreement including the Kyle Police Department, the Buda Police Department and Texas State University Police Department.

The Hays County Sheriff’s Office joined forces with SMPD in 1997 to create the SWAT team which has served the county for the last 22 years by handling high-risk operations.

The agreement states it would be inefficient to have separate SWAT units for each of the local law enforcement agencies and requests a “unified SWAT team called the ‘Hays County SWAT Team.’”

Captain Mark Cumberland addressed commissioners during the meeting and said, the agreement was intended of local law enforcement agencies “To combine resources to have the most effective and efficient SWAT Team the county can have. This is the best utilization of the resources for all those agencies to partake since we respond throughout the county.”

Cumberland said the interlocal agreement will allow members from other agencies to apply for a position on the county’s SWAT Team.

Currently, the Hays County SWAT Team has members from the Hays County Sheriff’s Office and the San Marcos and Kyle Police Department.

Commissioners voted 5-0 to approve the amendment to the interlocal agreement.