Sheriff’s office requests over $17 million for tech amid budget shortfall

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) --  The El Paso County Commissioners Court is expected to tackle financial decisions regarding the El Paso County Sheriff's Office on Monday. Commissioners will consider balancing a multi-million-dollar operating deficit, technology acquisition requests and grant applications.

Financial presentations on the agenda show that the Sheriff’s Office’s salary and benefits budget reached 108% usage as of Oct. 14, driven primarily by staffing shortages and mandatory overtime required to staff county detention facilities.

County budget and finance staff are expected to present an updated plan to resolve the deficit as commissioners review both the FY 2026 and FY 2027 department budgets.

Despite the operational shortfall, the Commissioners Court will also consider several major expenditure items and multi-year funding requests:

• More than $17 million in safety and communications technology: Commissioners may consider approving a $5,178,467 contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for body cameras and safety technology, as well as an estimated $11,999,495 system contract with Motorola Solutions, Inc. for sheriff and constable operations.
• DOJ grant applications: The Sheriff's Office is seeking authorization to apply for a $500,000 federal DOJ ANGEL grant and a $337,720 Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership grant, which would require a $168,860 local county match.
• Routine budget amendments: Two internal budget transfers are on the table to reallocate existing funds: $22,323 to cover Sheriff’s Department medical expenses for FY26, and $8,515 to cover courthouse security overtime during elections for FY27. Neither amendment increases the county’s overall budget.

County financial leaders and sheriff’s office officials are scheduled to brief commissioners on how the county plans to bring payroll costs back in line while funding critical law enforcement infrastructure.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates following today's Commissioners Court meeting.