Criminals in Texas had better beware - because Hollywood tough guy Steven Seagal has got a new job.
After a career upholding the law on film - and occasionally playing bad guys - the tough-talking action hero is now a real-life crime-fighter.
Mr Seagal, 59, was sworn-in as a Sheriff's Deputy this week to go out on patrol in Hudspeth County, which runs along the Rio Grande east of El Paso.
He will be on the lookout for people trying to slip across the border from Mexico.
The actor, currently starring in a reality show about his time as a New Orleans reserve deputy, contacted County Sheriff Arvin West about his interest in 'patrolling the border'.
'Mr Seagal is not in this for the celebrity or publicity,' Sheriff West said. 'He has a sincere passion for his country and he wants to do more to help. I think he will make a significant contribution to this office and to our community.
The martial arts expert starred in big-budget films in the 1980s and early 1990s, earning a reputation as an action star in movies like 'Above the Law' and 'Under Siege'.
In the last decade, he has appeared mainly in direct-to-DVD, low-budget films while working in law enforcement. His last role was as a corrupt Mexican drug lord in the Robert Rodriguez grindhouse flick 'Machete.
After Mr Seagal expressed interest in joining the Hudspeth County department, two members of the department travelled to Los Angeles to talk to the actor about his proposal and to make sure he was serious, said Rusty Fleming, a spokesman for the sheriff and one of the two who made the trip.
We were very quick to find out that he was not doing this for publicity,' Mr Fleming said. 'He wants to come down to the border and work and try to do his part.
Hudspeth County, population 3,400, is on the front-line of border issues ranging from illegal immigration to drug gangs.
Sheriff West once made headlines when he urged people who live in the county to buy a gun and 'learn how to use it'.
It was also in Hudspeth County that singer Willie Nelson was arrested on marijuana charges last fall. Two reality TV shows focusing on the border are being filmed in the county, Mr Fleming said.
He understands this issue that we have down here on the border,' Mr Fleming said of the star. 'His help with his training and what he can help show our deputies and what he can show us here, I think he'll make a tremendous contribution.
Sheriff West said he expected Mr Seagal to report for duty in January and that the exact nature of his duties were still being worked out.
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