OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

Oovemor or Texer 

aunttn, Texas 

Dear Sir: 

tione upon the 

0r 8herirr8, ohlere 

and uyorr to 

peaial 0rriOOrth 

upon tha above p 

irani rblch they of 

or thir dep.mmnt 

, and the rate8 

rour letter au rollor8r 

uggeated by the 

ian Deremw r0r 

and towm oaua 

ary poliaemsnt 

r0rt2.m in 0ae8 0r 

of Pexae have appointed such 

n. In all oaae8 known to m 

llcentsn a0rv4 without compen- 

*I have been caked whether e city oan, by 

ordlnmce, aoaaieoion theae non-ealaried poliaemen aa speoial ofrioere and authoriee thelatc be 

ctrmed with guns and pietols dwiag the period or 

their trainlne, IIS well es during an actual 

emergency. 
Xonorable Coke titevenaon, page d 

*In the davelopswnt of our defeaee organistation in the State tho yueatlon beer uleo ariaen 

yr; to the mpsoiflo deZlnltio:i or iimltatlone on 

the authority to be exerolmed by &herllfa, Ehleia 

of polioe ard mayor8 with respeat to the appolntment or apeaihl offlcere. 

W I shall rppreolat’e en oplnlon froa you, 

therefore, on these tm point a, to-wlt : 

“I,. Uoea an lnoorporated olty in Texan 

have the aothorlty to authorize, by ordlnanoe, 

the amIng of s?eolal officere with gUna or 

piatofa? 

aa. What llaltatldna are then upon the 

authority whloh may be exerelaed by aherlifa, 

ohleis or polloc and mayor8 with reapeot %e. 

the appolntseat OS apeolal oifloera?w 

The petilnent pmrta oi ertiola 483, Penal Code 

at Texas, are: 

Vheever ahell oarry on or about hle peraon. . 

ie;s 

any puto1. .ahall be punished by fine not 

than one h&red dollar8 nor more than Yive 

hundred dollar8 or by oonflneimnt In juii for not 

1.88 than one mnth nor mere then om reef.” 

nrtlole 484, Penel Cod0 or Texae aualcea certain 

exoeptlone to artlole W3, aup~a, and the pertinent part8 

al-0 : 

“The, preaedlng ortlole shall not apply to a 

person in actual aerrioe 88 a mllltiamur, nor to 

any peace oltloer In the aetual diaaharge of hiB 

otfloial dutfea, nor to the oarrying of arm8 on one*8 

own yremiaea or place of buaineoa, nor to persona 

traveling, nor to any deputy wnatabla, or speolal 

~ol~oemn who.recaivea a oomgenaatlon of forty dollar8 

or ;POre per aontn ror hia aerviaea ae euah offiebr, 

ma who la appo.lnted In oonfornlty with the etatutaa 

euthorlzing auoh apgolntaent . . . ."(underatoring: 

ours) 
82 

Honorable Coke tctevenson 9aga 3 

IO believe it to have been the Legislative intention 

to prohibit deputy oonstablm and opmial policesen from 

carrying eraa unleee they were reoelvln~ forty dollars per 

mnth or mime. 

ihder the ittot8 before us, it is our opinion that 

an iacorporated city ha6 no power b; ordinanoe to authorize 

the appointment of epeoial oifloara and per&It thes to be 

armed even for the laudable parpose aoutemplated. auah 

wouid be In violation of artiole 483, aupra. 

In our Opinion #o. O-12, WY held that, under the 

provisions of’ ~tlala S902, Vernon*8 Beviaed Clvll Statutes, 

the l herlrr of Galveston County ml&t appoint as many deputies as he might be authorlrad to appoint by tha oommiaaloaera* oourt of said oounty, aatlng within Its dlaoretion aa to 

the neoeaalty therefor. md la our opinion Ho. O-l&M, M 

held that, with the approval of the eom.iaalonera~ oourt, 

l 4Utlonal aherlrra Uepatles might be appoioted to serve wlthout pay. We enoioae harewlth eoplea of said oplalona. 

In the avant a oouli881onerB* eourt authorize8 the 

l herifi to appoint l dditlonal depatlea to serve without puy, 

the order authorizing l ueh appointi?umta Should state that the 

deputlea to be appointed are to be allowed no salary, else 

they might be able to reoover Zor thalr l ervloea on a quantum 

mmult baala. 

(iSad) 834. 

Enrria County v. Afleville (Civ. App.) 84 8. U. 

Tours very truly, 

rw 

0 yd Armetrolag 

Assistant