Case Information
*1 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 $80.00 when %hey make an arreat and the Juatloe or County Court, ee go to tha Constable.
"3. Can en arrest fea and mlleege be oharged a person oharged with drunk driving in the Coun- ty Court whan this person has been arreetea by the nlghway Patrol, and taken to the County Sail." has been reoeive8 and oarerully oonsldered,by this dapertxmnt.
Artiole 1.011, Bernon*s ¬ated Code of Grim- inal Prooedwa, provides8
Ifanorable I. I,. Chandler, Page
“No ‘item of ooata ahall be taxed for a purported sarvfoe whloh wae not perfomned, or for e aerrioe for rhioh no fae ia expressly pro- vided by law.”
It Is elementary end this department haa repeated- ly ruled that no paeoe oitioer ia entitled to a fee for a service whioh ha did not perform.
Opinion No. O-768 Or thi a departmant ‘hold8 that ii a State highway patrolman arreata a daienhnt in a ala- &emeanor oaaa and brings the defendant before the justioe the aaoe end darendant pleads guilty and is asseased a fitie, t E e jwtioe should not tax an arrast fee against the defendant. We enoloae herewith a oepy of thla op%nion ror youx inroraatioA.
City raarahala and aitp aalloeaea are geaoe otfiaera. _ - 56, VtA.G.C.P., provibes:
ArtIala
nTtm followiag ara *peaoe orrioara$* 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 exeoute orlmiaal praaeaa.*
birtioJ0 1067, V.A.C.C.P., provideor mCkmstablee, marshals other peaae ot- ricers rho exeeute eertioes prooesa end parfoa 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 rilea a oaae in justioe and ii a olty marshal oourt
ae vi008 he Is sntltledta tha same rose am the ahar constab e would entitled to ior periortiag aimllar aerv- --JL--T laea.
:ie quote 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 *3 Honorable I. L. Chandler, Page
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 order the 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 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- thay would Qlititlea raea aeaary serv104 course 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 If the nightwetahadn was not a paaaa making the arrest. to no fee for asking the ar-
officer he would be entitled lha oonatebls would not be entltlad rest. to an arrest tea beoauae he aade no arreet.
3. Ho arrest fee or mileage should be charged AS pointed out in Opinion NoJo. under the tact8 stated. *4 Honorable I. L. Ghandler, fage~4
O-768 of this Qepartmnt State Highway ?atrolmen are pal& a salary by the State of for their l rvioes out of State appropriations, and they are not entitled k, charge or ool&eot fees ima derendunto in oriminal oeses.
XNcLOSmES