OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
Oovemor or Texer
aunttn, Texas
Dear Sir:
tione upon the
0r 8herirr8, ohlere
and uyorr to
peaial 0rriOOrth
or thir dep.mmnt
upon tha above p , and the rate8
irani rblch they of rour letter au rollor8r
uggeated by the
ian Deremw r0r
and towm oaua
ary poliaemsnt
r0rt2.min 0ae8 0r
of Pexae have appointed such
n. In all oaae8 known to m
llcentsn a0rv4 without compen-
*I have been caked whether e city oan, by
ordlnmce, aoaaieoion theae non-ealaried poliae-
men aa speoial ofrioere and authoriee thelatc be
ctrmed with guns and pietols dwiag the period or
their trainlne, IIS well es during an actual
emergency.
Xonorable Coke titevenaon, page d
*In the davelopswnt of our defeaee organi-
station in the State tho yueatlon beer uleo ariaen
yr; to the mpsoiflo deZlnltio:i or iimltatlone on
the authority to be exerolmed by &herllfa, Ehleia
of polioe ard mayor8 with respeat to the appolnt-
ment or apeaihl offlcere.
W I shall rppreolat’e en oplnlon froa you,
therefore, on these tm point a, to-wlt :
“I,. Uoea an lnoorporated olty in Texan
have the aothorlty to authorize, by ordlnanoe,
the amIng of s?eolal officere with gUna or
piatofa?
aa. What llaltatldna are then upon the
authority whloh may be exerelaed by aherlifa,
ohleis or polloc and mayor8 with reapeot %e.
the appolntseat OS apeolal oifloera?w
The petilnent pmrta oi ertiola 483, Penal Code
at Texas, are:
Vheever ahell oarry on or about hle peraon. .
any puto1. .ahall be punished by fine not
ie;s than one h&red dollar8 nor more than Yive
hundred dollar8 or by oonflneimnt In juii for not
1.88 than one mnth nor mere then om reef.”
nrtlole 484, Penel Cod0 or Texae aualcea certain
exoeptlone to artlole W3, aup~a, and the pertinent part8
al-0:
“The, preaedlng ortlole shall not apply to a
person in actual aerrioe 88 a mllltiamur, nor to
any peace oltloer In the aetual diaaharge of hiB
otfloial dutfea, nor to the oarrying of arm8 on one*8
own yremiaea or place of buaineoa, nor to persona
traveling, nor to any deputy wnatabla, or speolal
~ol~oemn who.recaivea a oomgenaatlon of forty dollar8
or ;POre per aontn ror hia aerviaea ae euah offiebr,
ma who la appo.lnted In oonfornlty with the etatutaa
euthorlzing auoh apgolntaent . . . ."(underatoring:
ours)
82
Honorable Coke tctevenson 9aga 3
IO believe it to have been the Legislative intention
to prohibit deputy oonstablm and opmial policesen from
carrying eraa unleee they were reoelvln~ forty dollars per
mnth or mime.
ihder the ittot8 before us, it is our opinion that
an iacorporated city ha6 no power b; ordinanoe to authorize
the appointment of epeoial oifloara and per&It thes to be
armed even for the laudable parpose aoutemplated.auah
wouid be In violation of artiole 483, aupra.
In our Opinion #o. O-12, WY held that, under the
provisions of’ ~tlala S902, Vernon*8 Beviaed Clvll Statutes,
the lherlrr of Galveston County ml&t appoint as many depu-
ties as he might be authorlrad to appoint by tha oommiaaloa-
era* oourt of said oounty, aatlng within Its dlaoretion aa to
the neoeaalty therefor. md la our opinion Ho. O-l&M, M
held that, with the approval of the eom.iaalonera~oourt,
l4Utlonal aherlrra Uepatles might be appoioted to serve wlth-
out pay. We enoioae harewlth eoplea of said oplalona.
In the avant a oouli881onerB*eourt authorize8 the
lherifi to appoint ldditlonal depatlea to serve without puy,
the order authorizing lueh appointi?umta Should state that the
deputlea to be appointed are to be allowed no salary, else
they might be able to reoover Zor thalr lervloea on a quantum
mmult baala. Enrria County v. Afleville (Civ. App.) 84 8. U.
(iSad) 834.
Tours very truly,
rw
0 yd Armetrolag
Assistant