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 who16are oompenaatad County, bl renting a rodm at etting d 

### t?&pto 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!xeot h,:~. eecape.wHonorable 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 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 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 

### lafor 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 Mat Of l uratrbondaiorhis 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,** 

### probableamountof l xponditureand theneeeaaityror 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 

### orimlnalidentlfloatlon, 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." Weheld 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. ..



### HbnorahladbarleaR. ldirtln, pa&w )

Ifwee 

### held Inthe oaaoof Croathwalta%. 138 S.W. (26) 1060,that a Dlatrlat Attornay la not a 

### ofrlosPwithin

the atatutaa and:t 

### h@t thm~

## ~uaty. war

. 6tat0, apoada

### wltwhorrtauthorityto allowhim expense8 

### In oonaeOtlon

### withd~ayw• of 'gambling

equipmentprufoualj aelmd in a 

### raid**by** 

### the Dlstrlot Attorney. Suoh holding was baaed 

### uponthe 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 

### theCrlmlnalD+atrlctAttorneyare 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 law**  rully incurred and paid provided the 

### prooedure preeorlbad In Artlole **)8%(b),** supra, la tollowed, arid auoh la 

### allowad and approved **by** 

### theCcmmlaslonua ***** **Court** as **a** roaaoaabla **oxpmmo** 

### neoeaauyin thrproperoondafto? theoff108or Ukerlff,
Yoursvary buly
ATroRxW Gl!amALOF TKXAS By (Blgnod)LLOYDARMSTRORG



### Aaalatant APPROVED

FEB 

### 9,1942 

### (signed)cmoVm.sRLLERs First Aealatant Attorney 

### Conoral ' WIG0 AP?ROVED OPIMOX CCIVEITTEE By B.E.B. Chalrmn