KINNEY COUNTY, Texas — The hundreds of DPS State Troopers helping at the border need a place to temporarily call home. Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe put the call out for lodging and got an overwhelming response. He said the residents in the small rural county are offering their places for the troopers.
Sheriff Coe said this is something he's never done. He posted the call for lodging on Facebook, and in the span of several hours the social media post generated over a thousand shares.
"They are having problems finding places to have troopers come in and stay," the sheriff said.
The sheriff shared the following post Monday: "Kinney County Sheriff's is asking for help from any Hunting Ranches here in Kinney County to temporary house DPS. Your generosity to open your doors are very much appreciated."
"You wouldn't believe how many responses we had," he said. "Some of these are multi-million-dollar hunting lodges, they are willing to help. Some of them are offering their bunk houses that could hold 30 people that got sheets, towels and bathrooms, a kitchen. The whole nine yards."
Kinney County is very close to Del Rio. The sheriff said it has a motel with 12 rooms, but it has ranches with plenty of hunting lodges. He said it is no surprise the people of Kinney County are stepping up.
"It says a lot about them that they are willing to put people up that they don't know to help fight this situation that we are in," he said.
Sheriff Coe said he will ask the state if it can help with electricity and water at these places. He said he is going to hand over the list to DPS.
He said it not yet known, how long this lodging will be needed.
"It is one of those issues that we may be looking at this for the next two weeks, next two months who knows," he said. I don't want to say two years, but it could possibly be the next two years."