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 the lb&a 

oompen&atoq on a arresting off10 

ended by a Constgblo 

County Aiditor be authorized 

Comaiaaloaer6~ Court for 

he Crimlaal Dietriot Attorney, 

, all of who16 are oompenaatad 

County, bl renting a rodm at 

etting d t?&p to prerent the 

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, for 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 
Honorable bharlaa R. Martin, paga 2 

. . 

8uSh atatutr la authority for ths payment of ‘a rew~H 

iot ,to rxoeed $10.00 for the 8apturS of in aaoapod oonrlot aubjeot to the limitation that a0 l ttoh~ reward ahall bo paid to tha 

guard, aharlti or othSr pUsOn Ohu6ad with the alto kaOpin6 

of auoh prlaon~r. Ao provlalon la laade for 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 

on fire, burglary, theft, robbery lnauranos protooting 

PUbliO tuada’and inOlUdin@ the M a t Of l uratr bonda ior his 

Deputies, auoh qmnaea to be passed on, pra-determlned 

and allowed in kind and mounts, as noarlg as possible, 

br the Commlaaloneral Court on06 Saoh rcclth ior the ansuing 

month, upon the applloatlon bf each ofiloar, stating the 

kind, probable amount of l xponditure and the neeeaaity ror 

the axpanaea of his Off188 tom auah ~SUlhg’mOnth, whfah 

applloatlon shall, before pwaantation to said oourt, itrst 

be ondoraad by the County Auditor, if any, otherwlae the 

County Treasurer, only aa to whether funds are available 

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 the 

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 to anable the Commlaalonera~ Court to determine that the aherlff'a use of a commercial radio station for 

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 %. 

138 S.W. (26) 1060,that a Dlatrlat Attornay la not a 

ofrlosP within the atatutaa and:t h@t thm~ ~uaty. war . 

6tat0, 

apoada 

wltwhorrtauthority to allow him expense8 In oonaeOtlon with d~ayw• 

of 'gambling equipment prufoualj aelmd in a raid by the 

Dlstrlot Attorney. Suoh holding was baaed upon the propoaltlon that the perrormauoe o? auoh aot ma not a duty ot the 

Dlatrlot Attorney but rested upon peaar offloua. . 

The statutes Impose no duty upon a Dlkrlct Attorney 

to .apprehend orlmlnala. In view o? the holding fn the Oroathwalte 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 

pollc~. Such expenses lnourred by the aherl?? IULJ be lawrully incurred and paid provided the prooedure preeorlbad In 

Artlole )8%(b), supra, la tollowed, arid auoh la allowad and 

approved by the Ccmmlaslonua * Court as 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