Washington, Oct 17 : Steven Seagal has been sworn in as the deputy sheriff of a Texas border town.

The 59-year-old actor, who was appointed this week to go out on patrol in Hudspeth, which runs along the Rio Grande east of El Paso, will be on the lookout for people trying to slip across the border from Mexico.

The `Driven To Kill' star, who is 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," the Daily Mail quoted West as saying.

"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," he said.

According to a spokesman of the Sheriff, after Seagal expressed his interest to join 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.

"We were very quick to find out that he was not doing this for publicity," Rusty Fleming said.

"He wants to come down to the border and work and try to do his part," he said.

West said that he expected Seagal to report for duty in January and that the exact nature of his duties is still being worked out. (ANI)