OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Eowr8blr Ir8li.o 0. YlllUm8
Dl8triot Attornq
uNh~o;ncoIat7
,
D8ar sir:
.
r ea 8oio arlk ing
this that lo my
rt8towrrt of foat8, 1 w&8 tb folloulag 8t8k-
wnt I
WI8 Sbbrlff ‘8 doprtr~t of uuh
Count7 18 oDmmtlog m&r Uu u-7
the Sbrlff 8nd hl8 dO&MiO8 W -16 Ollt Of t&m
U-7 furrd of t& OOUIkt7. %W aOQ8ttib of th8
count7 U@ other p8808 OtfiOW8, uhroh 1M1Ufh8
alt7 au-8 rod polloa Off1Oer8 of tin Clt7 of
Brcllun, 8l-c mt utlcer the stlery 1111 ant of
ttbt County, but dcpad upoll the ices of office
for thelz csmpeasatlon ta axecut Ly: crlnlnal
raPOC.88.
‘In my opinion, I is01 that tt does notj 8lld
t&St JOW h~tWlrt V8S C7#@Z8llt Of the f8Ct
th6t 81l City POI:OCI 8rc 88 8 r&d0 00 8 86lCWy,
but deslm y3ur opinion In ro8poare to the Qusa-
tloa coatalned la p#lrik&r8ph tVo 8bove.”
In reply to your orlglosl July 15, 1946,
lwulry ve
of
8drl8ed yw, la our oplnlon Nn. 0-7296, in the C8988 f ileed
that
by the Chlcf of Police of Bmnham lh the Justice Court of Pre-
cinct 80. 3, Ysshi ton County, Ieras, he vould be tntltlcd to
collect the fee of 1.W “for each comnltmcnt or release,” prs-
vldtd under Art. 1 ii!! 5, Code of Cr:mlnal Procedure, especially
un&r 3cctl3n 5 tl-iexwof, vhere the vork performed for the fee
18 ectuolly performed by tho Chfef of Police.
Thl5 op:nlon V8ll premi5cd oh your statomnt that “the
constable of the county and other peace officers, vhlch lncludea
City kmshels an3 p?lica officers of the City of &c!IhEm, 8re
not m&r the salary blll and of the Ccuuty, but CcpcnC upon the
fees of office fw their c3npennEatloa la executl~ CikitXl pro-
CE3S.U
You nov ask, vhether It makes any difference Ln the ap-
pllcablllty of our O;jlnioo, 6s rendered, if the Chief of ?ollce
1s employed bye the City of Brenban under a coatr8ct th8s p8ya
him a f lx& 8al8ry per moclth, plus such fee8 88 he may CPTD :n
cr ildlU1 cases?
In October, 1541, in reaponw to the reqocst of the
Dlltrlct Attzwy of Edloburg, Texna, thlr department wrote Its
aplolon 8~. (i-37>1; and slncs 50150 of the questions therein d:8-
CuBsed are close13 8kLn t:, the lqulrie8 you have made, Ye ado::.
ea our suppleeontary oplnlon la thls ln8tancs, those port Ions
which bear directly on your recent l6tter of August 2L., 144ia, to-
v1r:
Yju8tfonX3. 3. DMCJ the fact t&t such officer
(ChLefof Pollee) t5 *id 0 88tiry by the City,
8ffOCt hi5 right to recelrc fees?
?$wrtlon no. 4. I8 it proper for 8uch offiCM
(Chief of PollCe) to &%~y the fee8 be Hd1i(*,8
into the Irceourg of the City that employs him?
“4 l l l 4 l
Hxmreblc LerlLc C. 'cIlU:uas - ~a@ 3.
%cw rub3 oliisr 8re
erpnrrly elven the 8uthor-
ltp t3 fix the coqmaretlon of thalr offl~cerr. Art.
1175, R.3. ‘Be olty could, tImefor., pa7 the Chlrf
of poll08 8 88lary oal7, or 8 88-7 aad in lldltlon,
permit him to nt8l.n put of lll of the 8tatUtOr7 fe88,
Or hs OOuld b8 Wid 8triCtly 00 l f.0 ba818.
%hlle the
th8t f8ot ruch offlccr 18 paid & 8alary
by th e City, l8 8t8t8d 10 ~OUF qW8tiOll, would not If-
feat hl8 right to eeelve th8 rtatutory foea provided
for the nrrlc88 m5iaa by him, lt ml&t 8ff8Ot hi8
right t0 fet8ilI suoh fee8 for hlm8Oli.
‘In 8flIV8P to your third quertien, it 18, there-
fore, flu oplaloa of thlr Dapwtwat, under tbb fact8
stated, that ruch offloer 18 not prohlblted fran re-
oelvla& the rtatutory feea for the eerrlce8 reculsreC by
him. Mlether 8uch offloor may keep such fees for hla
OVn UW aD 8 p-t Of hlr ColnpsU8atiOQ, however, 18 U
queetlon vhloh depend8 on th8 terms of t&i! ordlaanoe or
Itgreamuat fl%lng hi8 OompenMtloo. A8 VI haor, not bean
advlwd 41 to the O#Ct Mtux’e of the tern8 of hi8 Cm
pwatim, ve 82-e unable to pa88 upoa that rpciflc
point.
Vovever, in your th:rd quest:zn , you ;p;&thgt
ruch Qfflcer 18 peld 8 salary by the City.
dloance tlrly hl8 oompea8atlon provide8 imrely that he
shdll bo paid 8 salary and doer not e x p r es sly
luthorfze
him to ret8ln, 113 addltlon thereto, any Seer a8 part of
hi8 con~amtlon, therr, uf are of the oplnloo th8t he
ootid aot be 8ntlttid to retaln ruoh fees 88 p8rt of
hi8 O~M8t~OO, but 8houlb pey thea iat3 the City
TPW8LU7.
‘%8tUtel prtroriblng fe88 ior public OffiOer8 WU
rtrlctly omatruad, ad hence 8 rl&t to tea8 amy a3t
rerrt la *llcatloo. Where thlr right 1s left to con-
rtruotlon, the laqua* of the 18x7 must bc construed la
favor of th5 government. k%ere l statute lo ca$abl~e of
tvo oonstruct:oa8, one of VhlCh vould give en offloer
compensatfon f7r hL8 8ervlce5 lo rddltton hi8 88hry to
and the other not, the latter coartructlan ehould be
cdopt8d. 34 ‘fOXa Jurlrprudcnce, PgSS 5a, 509.
“In msrer to your fourth qwation, lt 18, there-
fore, the opinion of thl8 tiepartwnt, unclor the fmts
Hoaoreble &rlla C. U:lllanr - paa 4.
rtated, that unlnsrr the ctty 0rtYLamce or agreemeat
flxiry the compasatloa ai luah City Hershal axpress-
ly and alearly luthor!mr htm to retala ruoh feea 6s
part of his ct%npoMatloa, it voulcl mt only be proper
Sor him to pay hla fess into the City Treaeury, but
ha vould be 8ubject to ariPlad,prorecutloa lf ha lp-
plied ruch fee8 to his own use. (set? Art. 45, Penal
Cod-u.)
In vlsv of the Soreeolng exprca8lonr
subjeot on the
md of our SomPar Opiaioa to you on 8ubnit
Aul;uot 3, 1346, YB
thet It would mt lDake my differmae ln the ej?~l:cabllity of
our forum oplnloa that the Chief of Pollee ir smploycd by
the City of E&w&am urxltr a coatrartt th&t pays hlr, a fl.xcrJ.
salary pr month, plus such fees a8 he way eara ia crSmlc&tl
Cams.
Yours very truly
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion