OFFICE OF THE ACTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
Fionorable I. L. Chandlsr
County Addltor
Montague County
xontague, Texas
Deer Slrr
Your request to the fol.lmlng stated
quast Ions :
eae fees are.
ald a salary bg the
constable $80.00
when %hey make an arreat and
the Juatloe or County Court,
ee go to tha Constable.
"3. Can en arrest fea and mlleege be oharged
a person oharged with drunk driving in the Coun-
ty Court whan this person has been arreetea by
the nlghway Patrol, and taken to the County Sail."
has been reoeive8 and oarerully oonsldered,by this dapertxmnt.
Artiole 1.011, Bernon*s ¬ated Texas Code of Grim-
inal Prooedwa, provides8
Ifanorable I. I,. Chandler, Page 2
“No ‘item of ooata ahall be taxed for a
purported sarvfoe whloh wae not perfomned, or
for e aerrioe for rhioh no fae ia expressly pro-
vided by law.”
It Is elementary end this department haa repeated-
ly ruled that no paeoe oitioer ia entitled to a fee for a
service whioh ha did not perform.
Opinion No. O-768 Or thi a departmant ‘hold8 that
ii a State highway patrolman arreata a daienhnt in a ala-
&emeanor oaaa and brings the defendant before the justioe
or the aaoe end darendant pleads guilty and is asseased a
fitie, t Ee jwtioe should not tax an arrast fee against the
defendant. We enoloae herewith a oepy of thla op%nion ror
youx inroraatioA.
City raarahala and aitp_ -
aalloeaea are geaoe otfiaera.
ArtIala 56, VtA.G.C.P., provibes:
nTtm followiag ara *peaoe orrioara$* tha
sheriff end his deputies, constable, the mar-
shal or polloemen of an inoorporated town or
oity, the offloors, non-oommlaaloneQ orttoers
end privatea OS the State ranger rorae, and any
private parson apeolallp appoihted to exeoute
orlmiaal praaeaa.*
birtioJ0 1067, V.A.C.C.P., provideor
mCkmstablee, marshals or other peaae ot-
ricers rho exeeute prooesa end parfoa eertioes
for justloee in orialaal aotiaaa, 54al.l reoelre
tha same fees allowed to ahsrlris ror the same
earvloee. w
Opinion No. 0-~21s or~thfa dapartaant holds that
ii a olty rilea a oaae in justioe
marshal oourt and
ae vi008 he Is sntltledta tha same rose am the ahar
constab e would be entitled to ior periortiag
--JL--T aimllar aerv-
laea.
:iequote from G’plnlon No. O-3791 of thla depart-
awit a5 r0liar8:
". . . the ohisi of p015.00 is not entitled
as a matter of ri&ht to aot in any of the oapaoi-
ties mentioned, exoept to make the erreat, under
the faota stated. He ia however auShorlset8 to
Honorable I. L. Chandler, Page 3
aot in the other oapaoitiea named (auaaon a
jury. wait upon the court, and in oeae the rina
is &t paid,-to exeouts the oommitmnt) when
ordered to a0 80 by the justioa or the pZiZ
in aaoh inatanoe. ‘The juatiae of the peace
oould orderthe shdrr or oolutabla to perronn
any ol the -8ervioes neoeaaary aubaequent to the
arreat by the ohler of polloe. bhere tha ohieP
of polioa Is orders4 to perform such servioea
by the juatioa of tha peaoe, he muat 40 so and
is entitled to reoaive tha statutory fees pro-
vided for suoh aerviaas.
(1. . . Whether auoh Ofiiaer say keep auoh
rees ror hia tam use aa a part or his oompenaa-
tlon, hcmeter, la a question which depends on
the tews or the orainanoe or agreement riring
his oompaaaation. . . .n
We enaloae herawlth a oopy of aald opialon ior your infar-
mation.
r;e answer year questions a8 r0ii~58
1. In your first qnaation you state that tha
oaao was riled by a State highway patrdman. We asmae
from this statement that oelthar the oonatabla, oiby mar-
ahal nor the nightwetchsaaa mada tha arrest or periomned
any ssrvloea in tha ease. St thin be trua they waul4 be
entitled to ho tee5 whatover. It the oanateble or olty
aarahal earyea a legal aubpoeaa or auamoaaa a jury upon
order or the oourt or perform4 acme other legal aad neo-
aeaary serv104 or course thay would be Qlititlea to raea
ror legal aervloea perrormea. Ii ths oitg nightwatabaan
was a olty polioaaan hs wauld also be a peaoe otiioer and
would be entitled to feaa for lagal aamloes performed, if
any.
3. The arreat ri50 would 00 to the pea00 oliiaer
making the arrest. If the nightwetahadn was not a paaaa
officer he would be entitled to no fee for asking the ar-
rest. lha oonatebls would not be entltlad to an arrest
tea beoauae he aade no arreet.
3. Ho arrest fee or mileage should be charged
under the tact8 stated. AS pointed out in Opinion NoJo.
Honorable I. L. Ghandler, fage~4
O-768 of this Qepartmnt State Highway ?atrolmen are pal&
a salary by the State of Texas for their lrvioes out of
State appropriations, and they are not entitled k, charge
or ool&eot fees ima derendunto in oriminal oeses.
XNcLOSmES