OFFlCE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF ‘I’m
AUSTIN
~OA6rP.blO
D. Richard VO~ee
county Attornep
wllaon County
Flore8vill6,Texas
De%r Ylr:. opinion NO. 04969
Rer Constablemap a&e arrest8
wlthout mrmnt (in laatancee
authorled by law) in hla
entire county, both fn and
outside his own p;reclnct~
He may exeautcr.3vtwraataor
arreot anywhere u&thin the
Stator
Ywr request ror o~ialon has been received and
carefully oonsideredby tble department. wb qucte rra
your requwt a8 r013.0w:
The Constcble o!'JueticePredlmt
m. a,or Wilson County, Teserr,who is
ptrollri& the highwey~ of hi6 justfee pre-
olnot, and rlllag trartic violabfom~,bas
recently also petroled the bl@way beyoad
hi& preeinat and hes worked oa the hi@-
wey p.utaMe or alfs praoinat,in justhi*
prtlclnrttAO.6. All tiolatioaC ot the
txnfrie laws, whmcin he gave tiokets out-
d&s or hia peoinat were mae raturnable
to the pmcinet wherein the arrsets were
made au3 filed fn tht justiacr preoinot
w6rbthe ortone FBOcmiaitted. St bii
said that .3ustic.e
precinct no. air hae no
amstable, and t&S the oitlzms of that
&wcinctPe~Uamted
bin t0 aOPkth4il’~,re*
alwtr
liaimxwbleD. Rlahmd Voge8, Pa6308
"1. Gan a Constable,duly slooted,
quallrledand aatinE rar one preainat, proapt-
ad by him o*n desire, ga out or his preainat
and make arrsstrs,and rib caaos in the
justice aourt or'the predlnot whore the ai-
r-se rra600rmnltteb?
*t?. can a Constable,duly eleotad,
qualittadand aatlng ior 6im praulnot, by
the rrqucmt or altl::enk3
br another justloa
preclnat, go out of hfrrjustlos preaiaet
and patrol the hleJmay#, in other worda,
work the higiwa~rs arrest ror rsarsi0
vlolatiollcr,
and rfle the me in tha justiae
preolnut when the vioktiona ocoursff?e
Article8 68% an& 6&O, Vemoa*a Aaaotated Tana
Citil Ekatutow.,provider
“Art. 6688. Each conrtablo &all exe-
auto and return8eaordingto law all probow,
vmrrant6 and prsoe&s:~ to hizuaireatrd a.114
ctaliwmd bp any lawful orrioer, attaad upon
al.ljustioe ooorts held la ble preefnot and
perrona all auuh other dutlea as my be ro-
quirva 6r him by la=.”
“Art* 6689, wary eons$ablo mny aueuto
any prwsss, olVi1 or o~rlmlnal,throoghotrt
air oeunty and slmwhere,;am rry ba gmavlded
ror in the Cbds oi'Cr%mix+alProaeduro, nor
othot Law.*
I<
am ~~~~t~tabls.f~h pqaoe orrloer. 6~ Alrtlel.0
54,
VerPones Inaotataa Tex88 :OO&Jbr Crlmkaal Pro0adure.
miole 67, veraon** ham&at& Taxaa Code or
Crlmlnal Praaedws, .provld~ that "it i.6ths duty or every
pea00 orrioer to preserve the psaas ritUn his jtuiadia-
tt%.n.*
Article 818, Vernon*a Annateted Text%@God@ of
Criminal Bnsaadure, raradaas rdr0m
Honorable D. Richard Voges, Page 'B
"ht. 212. A psaee orrirteror cny other
parson, ~RBJ,without warrant, arrest m or-
render when the o?rense is oomitted in Se
prssanae or within his view, ii the 0irem6
is an0 olcleseda6 8 r510ny, 01'aa nn ~offenza
2g.zi.nst
thr,publio pac~.*~
.Artlcle808, Varntn’a Annotated Texas &enal Coda,
reads aa r0mma
-Any pea00 orrlcer is authorized to ar-
mat withcut warrant any per6oliround oommlt-
tlng a violation or any provision or the pre-
eedinc articles or this bhaptsr.n
Article 225, Vernon*s AniiotatedTexas Code of Grim-
lnal proaedurs,relates to awrrant ol urrestw and providea
that 8uah a warrant:
wIsaued by any county or &strict clerk,
or by any apa&trate (eraept aounty mmnls-
bionera or ccewissioners court, mayor8 or
reoorders or ah lncor2orutsd01t.yDP town),
ehal.1.extend to any pert of the state; and
any pekoe ofricer to nhaul aaid narrant is
directed, or into whose haBd8 the II~LIObaa
been tronstorred,#ball be ruthmimed to
execute tha same fn say ooutxtyIZIthe stata.*
The case or Xienaon V. State, 49 8. x. (261 465;
holds that Article 24L2,V. A. Ta G. 6. P., authori%ingt&r' ~,,
she&i to serve warrant6 outride his oounty doer not estead$
hia outhmlty to arrest without a warrant outlridethe county;
and thet a ehcrirr and deputy making an arrest aad seamh-
Iag an autmobile outoide the Bounty without a warrant
staad in the WSA~ relation to 6aaMh ~8 idvat Oiti%OM.
OpinLca KO. 0-1240 or this dopcartnentholds thhet
a constable h%n the authority to ersaute a warrant 0r ar-
rest not on&in eoory praoinct aithir:his own 0ounty, but
as walk in any cou&y in the Sate, and ia entitled to the
feea and icilorqep0via8a by law tharefor,
isoquote rroai36 Tex. SW*, p+ 6941
lionorabla
D. Riohard Vo&m, Pa&a 4
wThe power OS arrest posaaaaod by a
aozatableand a oity acirabal&alao extends
to the whole oountp, and bayond when aot-
1~ under a lawful warrant, efnce they ara
;:eaoeofSfoera.w (CitlnC: the aaae of ?Mi-
burn V. Durhaza,;I.Y. I!;.
195)
This departmmf her repaatadly held that a oonatablr
ha6 authorit to make arreata rithout warratt (irithe instances
provided by % w) anywhara in hi8 oounty either in or outside
hla OWK Pl'Wt[l6t. Se. the following oplniona~
Opinion dated lky F-l,1951, written by i&m. 3. F.
Johnnon,Aaalstant &tommy Osneml, addreaaed to Ran. H. 0.
&M&t, CountJrAttorney, Durnaa, %X+&O.
Opinion d&tad Ootober 18, lQi38,written by Hon.
$. E. Gray, AassistantAttarasy General, addressed to ShariiS
Toa Abel, Lubbock, Taxad.
Opinion So. O-1665 0S thl8 dspartmant,datiid~Rwam-
bar 24, 1959.
You are rsapaotfullyadPfsa4 that it la tha opin-
ion of this dapartmantthat a oonatablamay lawSullymake
an arrest in a precinot other tlna hi8 0mt in his oounty
ritlwut a warrant when ha would ba autlmrimd by law to tPaka
the arrest without warrant in his 01lplMeinot~ and that
wbils it Is his primary duty Under Art P010 57, Ve A. T. C. C. P.,
to resorm the pace wlthin his om preolnst, atfll his
ju&liotlon is oo-sxtenaivswith t&a 1Mts OS the oounty.
It alao fol.10~ that the oonatable would~hare authority to
axeoutswarrants of arrsst anywhere In his oounty.
xt is alao our oplnlon that ths oo&atablrwould
have authority to fila am Jaints upon the arrest8 dsaeribed
in your letter in the justfoe court OS the praolmet whare the
ofSanae5 were oommitted.
It Ls our rurthar opinion that'tha oonawbla DIRY
an,yw?.mrawlt;hin the f%tata.
exeaate Uerr.rantaof arrest
very truly youra