On Tuesday morning, the Hays County Commissioners Court will vote on a First Amended Hays County SWAT Team Interlocal Agreement, which will potentially create a county-wide Special Weapons and Tactics Unit.
In 1997, Hays County and the San Marcos Police Department joined forces to create the current SWAT team, which is an “elite tactical unit” that handles high-risk operations. According to the agreement, it would be inefficient to have separate SWAT units for the Hays County Sheriff’s Office, the San Marcos Police Department, the Texas State University Police Department, the Kyle Police Department and the Buda Police Department. Instead, the agreement requests a unified SWAT team called the “Hays County SWAT Team.”
The agreement cites the Interlocal Cooperation Act, Chapter 791 of the Texas Government Code, which allows local governments to contract with each other to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
