Honorable Wallace D. Beasley 

Executive Director 

Texas COmmiSSiOn on Law 

Enforcement Officer 

standards tima Education 

503-E Sam Houston Building 

Austin, Texa8 70701 

. Opinion No. M-966 

Rer Standards of selection 

aa training of Special 

Dear Sir: Rangers. 

'You have inquired of this office whether certain described 

Special Rangers are peace officers and thereby subject to the 

minimum standards of selection and training established by the 

Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards,and Education. I quote from your opinion request 

*There are a number of duly authorized statewide 

organizations who have employees whose work in 

specialized fields closely parallels work being 

done~by officers of the Department of Public Safety 

as well as,sheriffs and chiefs of police. To 

promote the necessary cooperation between these 

organizations aa various law enforcement officers 

throughout the state, a number of such employees 

have been appointed Special Rangers under the 

provisions of Article 4413(U) (5) Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes. 

Article 4413(29aa) Vernon's Annotated Civil 

Statutes requires all peace officers to comply 

with minimum standards of selection and training 

as promulgated by the Texas Commission on Law 

Enforcement Officer standards aa Education. 

An opinion is requested as to whether such 

described Special Rangers, when commissioned 

as law enforcement officers by the Department 

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-. . 

Honorable Wallace D. Beasley, page 2 (M-966) 

of Public Safety, are peace officers, as defined 

in Article' 2.12 Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, 

and thereby subject to the minimum standards contained in Zuticle 4413129aa) Vernon’s Annotated 

Civil Statutes.' 

Article 4413(U) (5) Vernon's Annotated Civil Statutes 

(as recently amended) provides8 

"(5) Special Rangers. The Commission 'shall 

have authority to appoint as Special Rangers 

honorably retired commissioned officers of the 

Texas Department of Public Safety, and shall, in 

addition, have authority to appoint such number 

of Special Rangers as may be deemed advisable, 

not to exceed three hundred (300) in number8 such 

rangers shall not have any connection with any 

Ranger Company or uniformed unit of the Department of Public Safety, but they shall at all 

times be subject to the orders of the Commission 

aa the GOVeMOr for special duty to the same 

extent as the other law enforcement officers 

provided for in this Act) such Special Rangers, 

however, shall not have the authority to enforce any laws except those designed to protect 

life and property, and such’rengers are especially denied the authority to enforce any laws 

regulating the use of the State highways by 

motor truck and motor buses and other motor 

vehicles. Such rangers shall not receive.any 

compensation from the State for their seridces, 

and before the issuance of the commission each 

such ranger shall enter into a good and sufficient bona executed by a Surety Company authorized to do business in Texas in the sum of 

Twenty-five Hundred Dollars ($2,500), approved 

by the'Director, indemnifying all persons against 

damages accruing as the result of any illegal 

or unlawful acts on the part of such Special 

Ranger. All Special Ranger Conmissions shall 

expire on January 1st of the odd year after appointment, and the Director can revoke any 

Special Ranger Commission at any time for'cause, 

and such officer shall be designated in the 

Commission as Special Ranger." 

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. . - 

. 

Honorable Wallace D. Beasley, page 3 (M-966) 

Article 2.12 Texas Code of Criminal Procedure (as amended 

in 1967) provides in pertinent part: 

'The following are peace officers: . . . rangers 

and officers commissioned by the Public Safety 

Commission and the Director of the Department of 

Public Safety . . . ana any private person specially appointed to execute criminal process.. 

The persons you have described are rangers and are therefore peace officers, even though they be full time employees 

of the various organizations indicated. 

Article 4413(29aa)6ib), Vernon's Annotated &,vil Statutes, 

provides in pertinent part: 

*No person after September 1, 1970 shall be 

appointed aa a peace officer . . . unless such 

person has satisfactorily completed a preparatory 

program of training in law enforcement at a 

school approved or operated by the Commission.8 

We find no authorized statutory exception to the foregoing 

insofar as the special rangers you have described are concerned. 

It is therefore the opinion of this office that persons employed by the statewide organizations to conduct investigative 

work, but who are appointed special rangers, must meet the legal 

minimum standards of, selection aa training. 

SUMMARY ----m-w 

Employees of statewide organizations who have 

been appointed special rangers by the Public 

Safety Commission to promote cooperation between 

their offices and the various law enforcement 

offices throughout the state, are peace officers 

and must comply with established minimum standards of selection and training, as established 

by the Texas Connnission on Law Enforcement 

Officer Standards and Education. 

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. . . r. 

Honorable Wallace D. Beasley, page 4 (M-966) 

Prepared by Howard M. Fender 

Assistant Attorney General 

Kerns Taylor, Chairman 

W. E. Allen, Co-Chairman 

W. Barton Baling 

Bob Lattimore 

Bill Craig 

Ken Nordquist 

SAM MCDANIEL 

Acting Staff Legal Assistant 

ALFRED WALmR 

Executive Assistant 

NOLA WRITE 

First Assistant 

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