Law enforcement in the valley is getting a helping hand from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to beef up border security.
DPS unveiled a new tool on Thursday, the newest patrol vessel, to help keep us all safe.
This is just the latest effort to crack down on border violence, and preventing it from spilling over.
The newest patrol vessel, used by DPS troopers, is named after a west Texas trooper who was killed in the line of duty.
The troy "Hogue” was put in service at a ceremony in Austin.
It will be traveling up and down the Rio Grande Valley to patrol the border.
The fallen trooper was stationed in Big Spring back in December of 1994.
He was shot and killed by a DWI suspect after a traffic accident on I-20.
A teen out of Howard County was convicted of the slaying.
He's now serving life in prison.
This is the agency's fourth 34-foot shallow water interceptor made for patrolling the border with Mexico.
State and federal grants are being used to pay for six new DPS patrol vessels as the war against drug cartels continues just across the border from the valley.
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