KVUE 5:25 PM. CDT June 09, 2017

Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez. (Photo: Travis County Sheriff's Office)

AUSTIN - In a press release titled, "The Smell of Freedom," the Travis County Sheriff's Office responded to comments Gov. Greg Abbott made about his feelings toward Austin.

According to KVUE's partners at the Austin American-Statesman, Abbott attended the Bell County Republican Party Dinner at the Bell County Expo Center outside of Austin. There, he told a crowd, "As I was coming up here from Austin, Texas, tonight, I got to tell you, it's great to be out of the People's Republic of Austin," the Statesman said.

"Once you cross the Travis County line, it starts smelling different," Abbott said, according to the Statesman. "And you know what that fragrance is? Freedom. It's the smell of freedom that does not exist in Austin, Texas."

Austin Mayor Steve Adler responded, saying that the "air is actually pretty sweet with an unemployment rate that is a point lower than the state's, a lower violent crime rate than the state's."

He also said, "the air is sweet with tacos."

The Travis County Sheriff's Office also responded. On Friday afternoon, the office released a statement saying, "the smell of freedom in Travis County and throughout this wonderful state is strong."

"As noted in previous press releases, the Travis County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Sally Hernandez, strives to ensure all victims of crime have an equal voice, and all who are alleged to have committed criminal offenses are held to account through the criminal justice system," the press release said.

Read the full press release here:

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'Smell of freedom' is 'strong' in Travis Co., sheriff's office says to ... - KVUE