Konorablo UbauriobR. Bulbok, Page 8
*sproial livestock deputy' to patrol the raDoh
oountry of the entire oounty to guard againat
livestock theft aA6 apprehend personr,who,
might be gnLlty of lfroetook thaitr Tt ir
admittad that a serious mad sxhtr for euch
ofriosr, and our only quratlon la whether or
not he my lqally be bmployrd and ptlb as
aforoaaid.
*Art. ,I188A, R6rleod Civil Statutes,
ha8 AO% been &VOA OtfOct iA Pa008 CouAty
w QfbtitiOllOf 0144tiOA.
"Eaolored herewith you aill find copy
above pubatlon f have ’
of letter brief OA ,the~
today submlttod to the Honorable V, P. Roomy,
County Audltor, Fort StooktoA, Texaer*
Tbia departmoAt has rutrstororeruled 01)a qUW#tiOA
eireflarto the one presented iA your inquiry. Kawqver, this
opinion iAvOlVO6 the employment of a sZMcia1 offiosr work-
ing iA four counti to apprehend cattle thieve6 instead
Of OA4 ODUAty. This oplolon ie,No. O-I?41and holdar
"The oaluafsrionerr'oourt has no
authority to pay out oi Bounty fmds money
r0r the mplOmeAt oi the epeoial oltloer
working in rour'oountles to apprehend
oattle thieves. Artiole .71588,R.U.3.
ll'P6xa8 ;lur1eprudenoe,page S62-866, ino.
Suab offloe does not exirt at law and the
oomniaeionera~ oourt is without'authority
to oreate suoh oifioa~.~
IA your latter to the Oounty AuQitor of Peeor
County, bearing date July 16 1041, you,reier to Artfole
6869 Vernon(r Annotate& Cirjl atatutea, relative,to the
appointmnt or deputler by tha rherUP. The number oi
deputies to which the sherift is uztitled in fully &is-
ousrrsdfn our Opinion No, 0-u , a, oopy of vrbiohwo are
enoloslng for your iniormation. This Opinion holda thAti
Artlole 6869, haa been aupersodrd and that the appolnt-
IlleAt OS deputy 5herijia ia in the 8Otltld dlsoretion of the
oomlssfonere’ oourt tmder krtiols 3908, using the follow-
ing languagst
"ThO dtQY&plrt?neAtis AOt iA gOS3@55iOn
Of U~ffnitO dOf3i6iOA f%ImatiRg the WiStiOA
on hand and therefore must arrive at thr
oonolueion that Artlole 6009 * * * whioh
appllee to the sherlft# under the Bee law;
he8 been aupereedsd + * * by Artiole 3908
* * * and by the Offioers' Salary Law of Jhm
Honorable ?iaurloo+ Rullook, Pege b
Stat. of Tefs8,
** ? *it reato within the Ufsoration of
the Honorable &maisrIo~e~* Court of Dalveeton
County, Tezas, a8 to the number of deputies
whioh the sheriff should employ.”
The tOllowI~ quotation la fouAd iA the oaee of
Tarrant County VB. Smith, 81 3.W. (2d) S371
“The oommiasI~oners~oourt .QaA limit the.
numbmel:
and salary of deputy sheriffs, but they
have no power over the namnlngof the Iadividualm
to be appointed, and are eepeofallp prohibited
rrom atte;PptIasany auot last mued Inrluence.
Artiole ,990Sr”
Article 71bSa, Verzma*a Annotated 01~21 Statute4
provides in part ae r0ll~ffar
“seotlon 1. In all.ootmtioe in this State
having ten thousand (lO\OOO) or more cattle,
sheep, and goate rendered for taxation, the qual-
ified rotors of such oounty may, as hersin-
after provided, enplop &dbl+Ional assistance
to the law enioroement offlcere or such aoucty
as herelsnfter provided. .
Ylpon the petition oi ten (103 per cent
of :the gualIfla4 voter8 ot auoh e,ouAty,pre-
sent to tho ComIW.onere’ Court IA open
Regular E;esaIon,requeetfng euch Court to.
order an election to be held,in mob CoUAty
to determine whether or not eaid Court, when
aoting a8 a Board oi EqtializationIn suoh
Couaty, ahall levy, and oaueo to be
assenaed and oolleoted on annual tZ3Xnot
to exoeed one (1) sent per h@ad.ihn.~.all
cheep and 6;oats,tnd not ,to 4fossQ five
(5) oar&per head on all oettld, Within
auoh Countyi said Court shall ordbr such.
sleotion to be hold within, euoh oounty,
~nea~~ordanoe with the ptitioe therefor;
“3eotIon 2, All monege aeseaeed and
oolleoted by the Assoseor’and COllbOtOE
of Taxes for each,County of this-S&atearr
provided for in’seotion 1 heroof, shall bs
paid by aald Colleotor unto the OouAtJ
Ronoreble Maurice R. Balloak, Page 4
Treasurer of suoh Oounty, and said Treasurer
shall deporit said monspn to a fund to br
known as ‘The DomeratioLlveetook Proteotive
Fund* and 8noh moneylr @hall never be expend-
ed ror any other purpose than is herein pro-
vldsd .
“Deotion 3. To aid in the’ eniOmwnt or
.a11 the Penal Ia$ of this Sate and in
ferreting out and detecting any vlolatiqu!!
thereof,.it shall be the duty of the Qom-
mioaionbrsv 00-t of rush Xountp, adopting the
proviaione hereof, and they are hereby authorized
and required to employ for ~u~h~~~emlce, ,fn
addition to the oiifaesa;now provided fez by
law, a8 many ,other oompetent aud dlsorest
peraone as, in ~th@ judgasnt oi eaid Court, ,~is
deemed neoammry ,ior aaid ,&urpossa,end shall
tix ,their.ooxupeensstioniprovided however, no
tiuoh,person,,or peraone ahal. be paid in
axoass of Five Dollars 1$5) per day, a?lilsin
aotual semioej and provided further that
at no t&e, shall the moneys expsnded in the
payment of,suoh parson, or peraond, for
eertrioesiexcesd the amotUit of money aolleoted
therefor. Suoh Court rhall ds$igmte! the
du%iee Co be performed by all suoh parsonrrand
shall require them to make uonthlp reports
in writing to said Court aa to thd manner in
wh$.ohthey have performed auc?hduties.*
.It ia stated in ,#our letter, In affeot, that Artfole
7156a mxpra, has not been &ven eifeot in Peooe County by
petition and eleotion. Tbreiors, said Oounty would ha~e
no euthoritp,to amp10 any pemon., or persons in addition to
the oiiioers now grov fdod for by law, for the purpose8 eet
forth 163 said statute.
L
In view,of the io&goi,ng atiitutsgand authorities
you are re~peotfullp advia& that it la the opinion of thir
departient that the Oom.fe0ionern~ &Wrt of Pee08 County
has no rCr& authorLt ‘to employ a Watoial llveetook
deputy”, whose duty I L II be oonflnrd to proteoting
livestook in Pecos County from theft, With referenae to
the nuzcberoi deputies the sherift Bqappoint with the
oondaht and pemlealon of the aomiastonfm~ oourt its
discu88sd in our 0 inion.X0. O-12. ‘Seare al60 enOlOSing
a oopy ot our Oplnf on No. O-341 for your information.
Honorable Naurfee RI Rulloe#, 'Pa@ 5
Trusting that the fore&3143 fully answer8 your
inquirp, we are
Itours very truly