""The Border Conspiracy: Exclusive Videos Show How One Texas County Fakes Crime Statistics to Make the Border Look Safe



HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS — Every year, the federal government doles out roughly a billion taxpayer dollars to local law enforcement agencies in the form of grants. These agencies — city police and constables, state agencies, county sheriffs — apply for the grants through the Department of Justice’s COPS (for Community Oriented Policing Services) program and use them to hire more personnel, purchase vehicles and equipment, and enhance their crime-fighting capabilities.

But do the federal grants actually help fight crime?