Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN
Honorable Char100 R. Martin
County Auditor
Harrl8OIl county
Marrhall, Texar
Dear Slrsr
You submit 0x an op
follcwiag questionI I
Ben. OonYloted and .obt*:Qn lb&a ended by a Constgblo oompen&atoq on a arresting off10
County Aiditor be authorized Comaiaaloaer6~ Court he Crimlaal Dietriot Attorney, , all of who16 are oompenaatad County, bl renting a rodm at etting d t?&p prerent th h felq +d thereby u , Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutsr, mml~slonsrs oourt may provide . a reward not to exceed tan dollars, to be paid out of the road aad bridge fund, the reoapture anE delivery of any esoapbd oorcvict to be paid to any person other then the eoard or person in charge of suck convict at the ti!xe ot h,:~. eecape.w *2 . Honorable bharlaa R. Martin, paga 2
8uSh atatutr la authority for ths payment of ‘a rew~H iot ,to rxoeed $10.00 the 8apturS of in aaoapod oonrlot aub- jeot to the limitation that a0 l ttoh~ reward ahall bo paid to tha guard, aharlti or othSr pUsOn Ohu6ad with the alto kaOpin6 la laade for of auoh prlaon~r. Ao provlalon the payment of expenaaa lnourred by the prraon making the urest and returning the prlaonSr as auoh reward la for the wreoapture and dellreryr of tha prlaculer.
The first paragraph ot aaotlon (bl or Article 3899, Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes, reads as hollows:
*(b) l&oh otfloar named In this Aot, where he reoslrea a salary as oaripenaatlon ior hla l orvlaa, ahall be ampoworad and partaittul to purohaae and hare oharged to his oolmty all reasonable expsnsea neoessary In the proper and legal oonduot of his offlam, prduma on offlolala~ bonds, premium lnauranos protooting on fire, burglary, theft, robbery PUbliO tuada’and inOlUdin@ the Mat Of l uratr bonda ior his Deputies, auoh qmnaea to be passed on, pra-determlned as noarlg possible, and allowed in kind and mounts, br the Commlaaloneral Court on06 Saoh rcclth ior the ansuing month, the applloatlon bf each ofiloar, stating the kind, probable amount of l xponditure and the neeeaaity ror axpanaea of his Off188 tom auah ~SUlhg’mOnth, whfah applloatlon shall, before pwaantation to said oourt, itrst be ondoraad the County Auditor, if any, otherwlae funds are available County Treasurer, only aa to whether sor payment of .auoh ccpeh808. The OOmmiaaloner6’ Court of the county of the SJxwriit~a residence may, upon the wrlttm and aworn applloatlon OS-the Sheriff stating naaeaalty thareior~purahaae aq~pment for a bur'aan of orimlnal identlfloatlon, l uoh as oamuaa, finger print ~aivli, inks, ohamlodia, tio?oaoopSa, radio ati laboratory equipment, fll~.oarda, filing aablneta, tear gas and other equipment in keeping with the system In uSe by the Department of Public Saiety of this State, or the United States Department of Justice and/or Bureau of Criminal Identlrleatlon."
We held in opinion No. O-3571 that suoh statute was aufilolently broad anable the Commlaalonera~ Court to deter- mine that the aherlff'a use of a commercial radio station broadcaatlng messages in an attempt to locate run-aw&y children, miaslng persona, stolen property, eta. was a reasonable expense in the oonduot of such office and to pay the costs thereof.
Hbnorahla dbarlea R. ldirtln, pa&w )
If wee held In the oaao of Croathwalta %. 6tat0, 138 S.W. (26) 1060,that a Dlatrlat la not a apoada Attornay ofrlosP within the atatutaa and:t h@t thm~ ~uaty. war . wltwhorrt- authority to allow him expense8 In oonaeOtlon with d~ayw• in a raid by of 'gambling equipment prufoualj aelmd Suoh holding was baaed the propoal- Dlstrlot Attorney. o? auoh aot ma not a duty ot tlon that the perrormauoe Dlatrlot Attorney but rested upon peaar offloua. Attorney
The statutes Impose no duty upon a Dlkrlct to .apprehend orlmlnala. In view o? the holding fn the Oroath- walte oaae, aupra, we hold that the expenses meatloned in your second question lnourred by the Crlmlnal D+atrlct Attorney are not proper ohargea and cannot be lawfully paid. Xolther oan auoh expanses be allowed and approved It lnourrad by a olty Such expenses lnourred by the aherl?? pollc~. IULJ be law- prooedure preeorlbad rully incurred and paid provided In arid auoh la allowad and Artlole supra, la tollowed, )8%(b), approved the Ccmmlaslonua * Court a roaaoaabla oxpmmo neoeaauy in thr proper oondaft o? the off108 or Ukerlff,
Yours vary buly ATroRxW Gl!amAL OF TKXAS By (Blgnod) LLOYD ARMSTRORG Aaalatant APPROVED FEB 9, 1942
(signed) cmoVm.sRLLERs
First Aealatant Attorney Conoral '
WIG0
AP?ROVED OPIMOX CCIVEITTEE By B.E.B. Chalrmn