OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 
Hon. Homer Garrison, Jr., loge E 

I 

it ii you would edvlsc me Ghethor or not thlr 

Department wculd be authorized to puroheeo 

suitable lend from the appropriation of tin 

Wpartnent to ereot a radio etetlon.* 

The rtuthority of the De~rtrnent or Publio Safety 

is r0uDd in Artialee 4413 (l), 4413 (e), 441$ (0, 4413 (X5), 

&tlfo~), Revised Civil ztatutea of Texas, whlah read a8 

: 

"Al%. 44.3 (1). There Is hereby oreetrd a 

Departnront of l~blic Safety of the jtate of 

Texas, hereismfter deaiguatad a~ *tie Departmsat,~ in whloh lo vseted the enforoement 0r 

the liati poteoting the publio safety und providing for the prevention an4 dotootion OS 

%?%iioe end headquartera in the City of 

The Deprtmmt shall have ite prinoiitwtln, where all cf its resorbs ehall be kept.* 

*Art; 4413 (e). The aontrol of the Depart- 

-t ia ha8by ~atcrd in th iubllo 3aftty 

Cd~ion, ImrelneZter designated as 'the 

C0mbeiOA,’ Whbh #3.~%&MiOn eha&l OOASis% of 

thho oltiseM of this fste+te . . . .* 

"he. 441s (4). The conuPieeion shell formulek plays and palioies for the enforoement 

of the arhlnel laws and of the tmftla emI 

oafofy lawe ot the State, the prevention of 

or&e, the detection aa a;prehewion of vlolatorm of the lana, and for the eduoetion of 

the eiticens of the Siate in the :xcmotion of 

puhlla safety end law obrervenoe.* 

“Art. 4413 (13). There is hereby seated, 

as an l~togrel part at the Department, a Headsuertero nlrision, ccnsieting of the Bureaue 

of Identitioation an4 Record8, Communicationa, 

Intelllgenae and b;duoation. Mtb the advlae 

and oonaent or" the Commis~lo?., the. Jireatcr 

ehall employ suoh ahisfs, experts, operators, 

instruators 6114 assia*tanta "6 nay be necessary 

for the operhtlon of this Division and the 

several 3ureaua therein.* 

"Art. 4413 (15). I.. It aball be the duty or 

the pireotor dth the advice wd consent of the 
,C 

HOA. HoRmr GuriSOA, fi., PE@e S 

GC8E0iiUiOA to mime the ohid of the Bureau 

Oi O-iOdfOA8. 

"8. Thl8 Bureeumay,whonfundo are pro" 

vidod, hstall and operate a poll08 radio 

broadoastlng eystem for the broed~stlng 

informatIon, oonkwdng the aotlvltlw of 

violator8 of the law, and for tlm dlreotlng 

or thm eotivltloa and runotiona of the law 

iwaroimnt al~noie8 or the State; tha OOAAtlw end the qnloipelltler. It 6hall. aooperate with .oounty and munlolpal pollao 

euthorltlor. aad with poll08 radl0 StatlOlu, 

In this State and.ln othorStato8. 

. 

P 

"4. Thie Bureau shaLl povldo for tha 

rapid oxohan~ of infornation, ooaoa?niry @a8 

ooml*8lon of orlmor and the d~teotion .ot vlolatorr ot the law, b&wean the lew l a foro emeat ~0nolef1 of thlr State, it8#+uatlm ax& 

m$,p~ltloa end other stalms M t&e mtioneX 

.* 

The .~tetutor ,abovo quoto4 8u$ihorlw tin la8t+llkt&on 

~ ~'~-'~~'M~'~Qo~~A~OA Of 8polloa radio breadeUt&n&.w~'?QoL~th~:ptpit 

am of preventin& arch., dotoot- wed we$aadin(: 1~ riotom, and for t& dlxwoting of thb aotlvltla8 mnd funataoru o$ 

the lawenforommteganolem aftha Stato,tho oountlo8andtbo 

snlll101pl1t1.P. Thur, the I)~~tlMAt of Fuhli.0 Safety aopld pur- 

.ohaw altable land on *hIoh to In&all and Operat;y~g~rtio 

rrtation es a part of said authorlzod broadoartl 

mo~oys appropriated ror the Z+uhallatlon (md 8q 3 pment of uoh 

a syntca; ilmt, if approprlatlona of tb dopa?%aant are broad 

emu@ to ewer suoh a puroham; end aooond, it mmh a xna~huo 

ooula be a0sigd0a a AOO~SS~p ala lAola~tal expoA*o iA oarying outthipowar @ant.& to tha 4OwwAt t0 i.AStU auoha 

8YBtCSl. 

'Ipa think suah a purohaae 16 authorlned by tb 

Qenorel Appropriation Bill for tb# %W-yWU pIIZ?lOd 0~6Iag 

August 91, 194S, knmn aa 3onata Bill No. 483, p. lZS1. 47th 

LM., 194.l, wherein It ~rorldes for an annual aj;prop?htlOn for 

the Department of f'ubllo 3afat.y. &kiA DiriaiOA, dMl@U-d a8 

Item 106, es roilowe: 

"106. Fosta@, suppli~a, arma, wlra 0o.muut2ication, 
HOZl* Eomer Garrison, Jr., Page 4 

r a dil qialpmat, o r a di8ouí p p ll88, 

and oontingmt expn8e8; ho8pltal E 

lntitlg 

atioa aa 

IlAOdiOdl 8UTiO.8 ldla iajW.d in liA0 Of 

duty, run-u erp8n888 uhon dmth r88ult8 

rrom in&rie8 rao8lved in line or duty; 8ursty 

bond8, book8, all neom~saay exmss8 or operatlng a polio8 training 8ohool at cwa~ Yabry 

We have undarsoorad the weds “eny other nso~ury 

d6qartmntal 8xpn888.~ under the enurg8noy alroumatmou 

quoted In your letter the purohase or 8ultnbls lend l ppssre to 

be nd~88ax’y and lnoldantal to the errtab hmea t or en effiaisnt 

broadcasting systems 8ultablo lmd in th188rs8psats&ht pee8- 

Ably b8 rogardod aa p+rt.or the nsomaary radio rqul 

the 0xpb1180 iOr Obtaining ssw may properly b8 rsger r 

iot, and 

od a8 one 

of theso neoo88sry departmental expense8 proYlded for in tha 

above r,uotod ltam 1Od. 

. . In the 6888 or mrring Y, Houston watbn8l nahs.ngeB8nk,~QS.W~ 1OSl nh8r~intherown8 apuraha88 bytho 

Texao Pri8on 0wml88ion, without th8 approril 0r th 

of a ml11 and 8it8, part of tb, oon8id8r8tlon boln# 3.8 

8latur8, 

whleh thoniillwas 8ltuatin¶, It was held end apprond by tie 

Texas Suprum hurt that tbsrr was no violation of Y.A.C.S. 

aupp. 1988, Art. 6181, rorbiddlng the puroheeo or -land* ror 

the prieon 8ystua of Texa8, dthout the Legislature'8 Qqiroral, 

tbr puroha88 of tha 1-d bolng only inoidontal to the &nwpo80 

or oatabllehlng a mlll and raotory ror thm ssld sy stem l e authorixed by Law. 

Intho quotedHerrlng ea8e,the Su ama Court& 

TM & IOI, n the r a o s or a n exl8ting l ta tuto wh r o h forbad0 tb 

purohas8 or land by the Texar Prison Go~8&88ion, wle88 approval or the Leglelaturr wae rirat 8eoured, looked upon the 

rorb/dda ;uroha8a or land a8 inoiaental to th8 authority 

granted to the Commieslon to eatabliah a mill and laotory and 

upheM the aot or th8 cmnaisslon. There exists no oimllar 

statute which would limit the land purohasing power c%f th8 

i3fipartmm or mblio safety. ft a;peare, thererora, that the 

proposed purohaae of suitable land for the areotion of an 

authorized radio atatlon by the Department of Publlg Satety 

under said oiroumtanoa8 my withy greater o8rtainty be 

deternined aa neosseery and incidental to the power given it 
; 

Hon. Homu Oarrlson, Jr. s mg0 5 

, 

it t0 inStti1 ad Op er a te SUSh l Station. 

IXI tb OUS OrTUrJU& T.S~SW, 104TOX. 191, 

19s 8.911. SUI, th0 SIA~NW GOWt Of T8Xa8 ,&I diSoaUi45 19 

orrioiuv au*ori~ Maor ail appropriation Mu, ~3pmted inm 

suthorland (Dn 3tatutory GOllStl’UothXk, as rollonr 

nWhOlX8VU a pOrrU i8 giTU by StetUtO SW& 

tw n00088~ t0 SW&8 it 8mUh.u Or N&IiSita 

to ,sttdn the end 18 iSpl$ed. ft i8, a W811-OSt4Lbliehed prinOiQl0 t&t 8tatit.S OCJlltdIliI@ &Mtit8 

Or pOrU 828 t0 bo SOM$rilOd SO Se, t0 iIlOlUd8 th0 

autboritj to do all thlngr miou8ar7 to aeooaplish 

the objeot or.the grant. Tbi ma&or an w9rou 

power 0amle8 with It by nsoe88~y IEPlIoiitfon 

Furthersme, it I8 a -11 known raqt, thtbroad~. 

fremyour lotte*t 

aastiug stations a&snot bm loo&ted onzzzi O$ ,z~~ke~~;in& 

Tar eff$olwt tr 

radio, it i8 nuu8uy that the SOFlu mb m 

U8Ot.d On OUtain typ88 Of 8oil. . . . * It 18 

dl. t0 iQUt0 that th. LO~iSl~tWO N SUffl~iWtlj iniOkSlSd 

in th88a PnattOrS wh8Al it OrUtd th8 pOrrr fn th8 ~&WtEUrt 

or pub110 m&y to IMtd.l ma oprats a radio StitlOn, and 

provided a99roplIntlotu to Install end qmrate 8amo. In riew 

Or the rWt that the LOjJiShtWS did llOt l ttOIB9t to 89.0~ 

V&W th8 SktiW ShOtid w loOat& Md did Ret 00niilu it 

to MypU'ti8ular grotlnd,tb DSpartWIltoi Rrbl3.8 SliOtjrN 

authorized ne0~88urily to U0Utd.n for lt88li SulWbl. 1Uid 

fOrl~~h~~“08 8Xid to &‘y fOr SUY dth IrF~O&Wi*tiOM 

. 

Under the wrgsnoy oIrow8tauor of the duo and 

In the 11&t Or tke 8ktUt.S authorlrlng the OStabliStit 

or a polio. radio broaausting S~StUB, it 18 our opInIcu&~- 

that the puroh888 of suitable lpnd on uhiah to SrOSt a radio 

statlon ror the Department of pub110 safety la n~oossaw ana 

inoiaatu to the pWpOSSS~-Or prorenting orlm8, aetsating 

,and aFprOhOIIding law riolutor8, and ror proper snroroanent 
mm. xcmsr 0uvlson, Jr., Page 6 

or th8 -8 or gur doputmat; that*8 8ama ir l ltb r 1 mDd, 

and the uonw appvoprlatsd in nom106 or the D8putm8nt of 

Pub110 sa?8ty ap 

r 

prlatlon (8enats Bill 4&S 

'J. 

U31, .4lth 

LOa., lf?ti) w 0 U88d iOr tb8 ~ObaSS Of 8 d 8uitabl8 

land. 

YOU till WdUStMd, of O(IUr88, that ws have not 

oonsldersd Ud that it 18 not Within OUP ‘jSOd~100 t0 OanSIdSr th8 adtI8ibility 0r Thai pUrOh888 irO5I II fiIUInOiU 

standpOInt, but have OnlJ oonelaored md 3XM88d upon th9 

is 

f 

u right or the wpsrtaorhlt or ml10 sarrty to purohbs 

SU table land in ri8W Qf the Oil'Ouinst~OSS i8t Out in yOUE 

l8tter u&d the law as it ItOw 8rist8. 

- i 

AFPRoYm SBP. 8,194l 

(8) C%OTSP SO11OI'S 

PirOt ASSiS~t Attorney G8nOrti 

APPxwlm 

Opinion Gomitt 

By B. '5. 3. chalrm8r1