The only people I know that might not like him are locked up in his jail, and actually, most of the people in his jail like him, too. Outside Smith County, the sheriff and his department are among the state's best known, with fans from Austin to Washington. Nobody I know is tougher on criminals, and nobody outside the FBI and the DEA is better equipped. In that regard, Smith County packs more firepower than some small countries. The department has grown from 28 to 238 employees.
Deputies joke that the sheriff commands a navy, a cavalry and a tank division.
Its boats and Jet Skis patrol county lakes. Its horse patrol regularly helps agencies across Texas handle crowd control. Then there are his U.S. Army surplus armored personnel carriers, Bubba I and Bubba 11. Both came free, adding to the sheriff s legend for scavenging everything from donated inmate uniforms to surplus sanitary napkins, a bus and even an 18-wheel truck. It was hardly the department's first brush with fame.