AUSTIN, Texas — Texas state budget cuts are shrinking the successful Tarrant Regional Auto Theft Task Force, an agency that has recovered $1 million worth of equipment so far this year. The agency, which has also helped cut automobile thefts by almost 40 percent in the past 11 years, is losing four of its 12 officers and $500,000, nearly a third of its previous budget, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported recently.

“The cutbacks couldn't have come at a worse time for us,” said Leon Kothmann, executive director of the Austin, Texas-based Texas Rental Association.

The task force, which covers a seven-county area, has helped rental businesses recover stolen heavy equipment such as loaders and backhoes. TRA made a $25,000 donation to the agency and plans to donate additional funds in the future.

The cutbacks are a result of the Texas legislature's 34 percent cut in money earmarked for theft prevention.