Case Information

*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS

AUSTIN

karoh 7, 1939 Ur. Fred T. Porter County. Attormy

Xa$my , Texas

Dear Slrr

n the following State relating to the epecd of motor rehlolea unleisa'he 1s at the time of auoh arrest wear- lnr, a uniform and badge olearlp dletingulsh- private lng him from ordinery olvlllrns olilzens, and ohall have no authority to mak4 any suoh arrests by dcel~nedly remalnlnp: in hiding or lying in wult unobserved in order to trop thoas suepeotcd or vlolatlng the speed laws in reierenoc to motor vehloles. No euoh oftlosr, and no sheriff, oonstable, marshal, pollosman,~trarrlo oiiloar, or other *2 Mr. ?red T. Porter, Maroh 7, 1939, Page g

oifloer shall be entitled to any fee for mak- lng an arrest or eervlng a warrant or arrest or olaim, demand or reoelrr anywltness fee or oomltmeut fee for an alleged violation or any law of this State relatlta to mob spped- lng.. It shall be the duty of the dlstrlot or oounty attorney, as the ease may be to

dlsales any and all proaeoutlonr wherein it is ehown thmt the arrest was made by deslgned- ly remaining In hiding or lying in wait un- obeorved in order to trap those suepeotsd of rloI.atlng suoh speed law, and thle provlelon shall apply to suoh oonduot by any highway offloer, sharlff, deputy sheriff, oonatable, marehal, polloeman, or any other offoer of thla State, or polltloal eubdlvleloa thereof, provided nay offlosr ptiraulng or lyrng in

wait in any vehlole other than a motoroyole shall be held to be designedly remaining ln hiding as defined in this Aot. Provided, however, that th6 provision hereof pertaining to motor equipment and uniform, shall not apply to an arreet made within the lnoorporatsd limits of a olty or town having a population lass than Ten Thousand (10,000) inhabitants, ao-

oordlng to the Federal Osnsus report of 1.820. -.

The venue or any proeeoutlon for speeding of motor vahlolea under State law8 shall be in the justioe preolaot only wherein the ofi fense was oommltted or in the preolnot of the defendant's reeldanoe. The badge hereln'requlred to be.worn by an offlosr making an arrest shall be diamond-shaped, and the uniform presorlbed to bo worn by suoh offloer or otfloera Shall oonslet of a oap, ooat and tfoumm of dark grey oolor, provided that the unliorm worn by olty polloemen within the oorporate limits of an lnoorporated olty or towu may be either blue dark grey lti 'color.

-1s any psaoe oirloer tiiiruiiy violates any provision of thla Aot, he shall, upon oon- tlotlon, be fined in any sum not to exoaed Two Hundred ((GZOO.00) Dollars.

Idri Fred T. Porter, Edaroh 7, 1939, Page 3

. l "The Attorney Canarm or any County Attorney may lnetltuta quo warrant0 to oust from 0rri00 any 0rri0er rlolmtlng any prorl- slon of this Aot of per&t any deputy to do. 80e (Aots 1927, 40th &as., p. 321, oh. 218, Pam. 1, as amended-;Adtn 1929;4lst Lag., 2nd C. 3.. p. 83, oh. 47, Pare. 11 Aots l&O, 41st Lag., 5th U. S., p. 239; oh. 76, Para. r.)=

The Court of Crlmlaml Appeals held this artl- ala uuoonatitutlonal in the oase of Er Part6 Railing, This oasa holda.aa followsr 62 SW-;)-644.

%tatute requlrlog orric8r-to uemr pre- sorlbed unirorin with badge when arreetlng porson for apeedlng la automobile and oon- talned provision that aot wae not applloable to arresta mde wlthln inumporated limita of olty or town havtng population of less 'than 10,000 by Federal Census of 1920, held unoonstlt+tlonal ma *looal* or *apeolal lmw*.* In the 0418s of Sooggln YE. State, 38 SW (2nd) 892-594, the Court of Crlpinal Appomls held Artlola 809a, Aots Of the Seoond Called Soaslon Of the 41st Leglsla- turn (Oh. 47, Sso. I), unoonetltutlonal. Said aot, ma amended by the 5th Galled SeaaXon of tha 41et Laglsla- ture, is ldentloal with the aot of tha Saoond Callad Seesion of the 4lst Lagislatum, with two~~6@...nst

One is that any pea00 orri06r who wiirtiiy vlo- late8 any provlelon of said aot shall, upon oonvlotlon, be fined fn any sum not exoeediug $200.00. The Attorney . Osneral or any County Attorney may institute quo wmrranto prooeedlngs to ouet from oftioe any orr~oleil vlolatlng any provlslon oi said.aot or permitting any deputy from doing aoa

The other ie'&at ihe provision in said sot

pertaining to motor equipment and uniforms shall not apply to tho arrest6 made within lno9rporated olty or town having a population of less than IO,OOO,lnhqbl- tents aaoordlng to the Federal Census of lOe0.

Mr. Fred T. Porter, Maroh 7, 1939, Page 4

It rib1 be observed thatiArtlole 803a, ad

amended, la not materially different from Article 803a as originally enaoted by the Seoond Called Seaaion,of the 41at Legislature. We, therefore, b4114~4 that the aem rule OS oonatruotlon as applied to the ori- ginal artlole would apply t-o the amandad artlols above referred to.

Artlole 803a' of the Penal Code, ma amended.

by the Seoond Called Seasion of tho 41at Legislature, in the SooqPJn ease, aupra, wma held by the Court of Criminal Appeals to be unoonatitutlonal in that the same violated Seotlona 19 an6 28.0s Artlole 1, Sootion 1 of Artlole 2 OS the Texas Oonstltutlon and the 14th amendment OS the United States Oonatltutlon.

Seotlon $3 of Artlole 1 if the Texas Cqnatl- tutlon reads as SOllOwS:

"No oltlzeo OS thla State shall be de- prived of life, llbgrty, propert?, prlvllegea or lmmunltles, or in any manner dlafranoblaed, exoept by the due oourae of the law of the land." . Seotlqn 28 OS Artiole 1 of the Texas Oonati- . .

tutlon rends as Sollima:

*so power of suspending laws in thla State shall be exerolaed exoapt by the L021al.ature.w .

Seotlon 1 OS Axtlole 2 of the Texas Conatltu-.

tlon reads as Sollowe:

"The powera of the Government OS the State of Texas shall be divided into three dlatlaot departme~ta, eaoh Of whloh shall beoonflcted to a separate body of magla- traoy, to wit::-Those which mre Leglalmtlv4 to one; those nhloh are Ereoutlve to another, and those whloh are Judiolal to another; an& no person, or ooll4ct~on of persona, being of one of thee4 departments, shall exercise any power properly attaohed to either OS the others, sxoept in the lnatanoes herein expreaaly permittsd.R

Mr. Fred T. Porter, hfaroh 7, 1938, Page 5

Beotlon 1 of the 14th amendment to the United States Constltutldn reads as foll0wS:

"All persons born or naturalized In the United States, and subjeot 60 the jurisdto- tion thereof, are oltlzens the united States and of the State nhereln they reside. 110 St&e shall make or enforoe any law whloh Shall abridge the privileges or immunities of olti- zens of the United stnte8; nor Shnll any State deprive any person or lire, liberty, or pro- perty, wlthout'due prooeee or law; nor deny to any person wlt!lln lts &xrlirdlotlon the equal proteotloi of the laws.a

You ire respeottully advised that it is the opinion of this Department that Artiole 803a, a8 amended by the 5th Called Seaslon ot the 41st LsRislature (Ch.

76, Sea. 1) is unoonstitutional in it8 entirety.

.- Ycu are further rsspeOtfully advised that it is the opinion of this Department that all peaoe otfloers ofTTexas makln~ arrests in speeding oases may oharge and oollnot tho fees allowed them by law.

Very truly yours ATTOlUUY GXNUZAL OF TEXAS Wm. J. Fannlnng ASSiStant WJF rAW

OFTJiiXAS.