LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 341. MUNICIPAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE

TITLE 11. PUBLIC SAFETY

SUBTITLE A. MUNICIPAL PUBLIC SAFETY

CHAPTER 341. MUNICIPAL LAW ENFORCEMENT

SUBCHAPTER A. REGULAR POLICE FORCE

Sec. 341.001. POLICE FORCE OF TYPE A GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITY. (a) The governing body of a Type A general-law municipality may establish and regulate a municipal police force.

(b) The governing body by ordinance may provide for the appointment of police officers the governing body considers necessary and for the terms of office and qualifications of the officers.

(d) Each police officer shall execute a bond as the governing body may require. The bond must be conditioned that the officer will faithfully perform the officer's duties.

(e) A police officer has:

(1) the powers, rights, duties, and jurisdiction granted to or imposed on a peace officer by the Code of Criminal Procedure; and

(2) other powers and duties prescribed by the governing body.

(f) A police officer may serve in each county in which the municipality is located all process issued by a municipal court.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 829, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995.

Sec. 341.002. POLICE FORCE OF TYPE C GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITY. The governing body of a Type C general-law municipality may appoint police officers that the governing body considers necessary and may define the duties of the officers.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 341.003. POLICE FORCE OF HOME-RULE MUNICIPALITY. A home-rule municipality may provide for a police department.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

SUBCHAPTER B. OTHER POLICE FORCES

Sec. 341.011. SPECIAL POLICE FORCE IN TYPE A GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITY. (a) The mayor of a Type A general-law municipality shall summon as many residents as the mayor considers necessary to serve as a special police force if the mayor considers the force necessary:

(1) to enforce the municipality's laws, avert danger, or protect life or property;

(2) because of riot, outbreak, calamity, or public disturbance; or

(3) because of threat of serious violation of law or order, of outbreak, or of other danger to the municipality or its inhabitants.

(b) The mayor may issue the summons by:

(1) proclamation or other order addressed to the residents of the municipality generally or to the residents of a ward or other subdivision of the municipality; or

(2) personal notice.

(d) A special police force is subject to the orders of the mayor and shall perform the duties required by the mayor.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 341.012. POLICE RESERVE FORCE. (a) The governing body of a municipality may provide for the establishment of a police reserve force.

(b) The governing body shall establish qualifications and standards of training for members of the reserve force.

(d) The chief of police shall appoint the members of the reserve force. Members serve at the chief's discretion.

(e) The chief of police may call the reserve force into service at any time the chief considers it necessary to have additional officers to preserve the peace and enforce the law.

Text of subsection effective until January 01, 2025

(f) A member of a reserve force who is not a peace officer as described by Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, may act as a peace officer only during the actual discharge of official duties.

Text of subsection effective on January 01, 2025

(f) A member of a reserve force who is not a peace officer as described by Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, may act as a peace officer only during the actual discharge of official duties.

Text of subsection effective until January 01, 2025

(g) An appointment to the reserve force must be approved by the governing body before the person appointed may carry a weapon or otherwise act as a peace officer. On approval of the appointment of a member who is not a peace officer as described by Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, the person appointed may carry a weapon only when authorized to do so by the chief of police and only when discharging official duties as a peace officer.

Text of subsection effective on January 01, 2025

(g) An appointment to the reserve force must be approved by the governing body before the person appointed may carry a weapon or otherwise act as a peace officer. On approval of the appointment of a member who is not a peace officer as described by Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, the person appointed may carry a weapon only when authorized to do so by the chief of police and only when discharging official duties as a peace officer.

Text of subsection effective until January 01, 2025

(h) Reserve police officers may act only in a supplementary capacity to the regular police force and may not assume the full-time duties of regular police officers without complying with the requirements for regular police officers. On approval of the appointment of a member who is a peace officer as described by Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, the chief of police may authorize the person appointed to carry a weapon or act as a peace officer at all times, regardless of whether the person is engaged in the actual discharge of official duties, or may limit the authority of the person to carry a weapon or act as a peace officer to only those times during which the person is engaged in the actual discharge of official duties. A reserve police officer, regardless of whether the reserve police officer is a peace officer as described by Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, is not:

(1) eligible for participation in any program provided by the governing body that is normally considered a financial benefit of full-time employment or for any pension fund created by statute for the benefit of full-time paid peace officers; or

(2) exempt from Chapter 1702, Occupations Code.

Text of subsection effective on January 01, 2025

(h) Reserve police officers may act only in a supplementary capacity to the regular police force and may not assume the full-time duties of regular police officers without complying with the requirements for regular police officers. On approval of the appointment of a member who is a peace officer as described by Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, the chief of police may authorize the person appointed to carry a weapon or act as a peace officer at all times, regardless of whether the person is engaged in the actual discharge of official duties, or may limit the authority of the person to carry a weapon or act as a peace officer to only those times during which the person is engaged in the actual discharge of official duties. A reserve police officer, regardless of whether the reserve police officer is a peace officer as described by Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, is not:

(2) exempt from Chapter 1702, Occupations Code.

(i) This section does not limit the authority of the mayor of a Type A general-law municipality to summon a special police force under Section 341.011.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 90, Sec. 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1420, Sec. 14.825, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

Amended by:

Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 765 (H.B. 4504), Sec. 2.142, eff. January 1, 2025.

SUBCHAPTER C. MARSHALS

Sec. 341.021. MARSHAL OF TYPE A GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITY. (a) The marshal of a Type A general-law municipality is the ex officio chief of police.

(b) The marshal may appoint one or more deputies. The appointment of a deputy must be approved by the governing body of the municipality.

(c) The marshal or a deputy marshal shall be available to the municipal court when it is in session and shall promptly and faithfully execute writs and process issued by the court. The marshal may execute writs and serve process within each county in which the municipality is located, both inside and outside the municipal boundaries.

(d) The marshal may take suitable and sufficient bail for the appearance before the municipal court of a person charged with a violation of an ordinance or law of the municipality.

(e) The marshal has the same power and jurisdiction as a peace officer has under the Code of Criminal Procedure to execute warrants, to prevent and suppress crime, and to arrest offenders. The marshal has other powers, not inconsistent with state law, that the governing body confers by ordinance.

(f) The marshal may close a theater, ballroom, or other place of public recreation or entertainment to prevent a breach of the peace or to preserve quiet and good order.

(g) The marshal shall:

(1) quell riots, disorder, and disturbance of the peace in the municipality;

(2) take into custody a person who disturbs the peace of the municipality;

(3) arrest, without warrant, a person who disturbs the peace, otherwise engages in disorderly conduct or a disturbance, or obstructs or interferes with the performance of the marshal's duties; and

(4) perform other duties, not inconsistent with state law, that the governing body prescribes by ordinance.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 829, Sec. 3, eff. Aug. 28, 1995.

Sec. 341.022. MARSHAL OF TYPE B GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITY. (a) The marshal of a Type B general-law municipality has the same power within the municipality that a constable has within a precinct and is entitled to the same fees as a constable.

(b) The marshal shall perform duties, not inconsistent with state law, prescribed by the bylaws and ordinances of the municipality for fees determined by the governing body of the municipality.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

SUBCHAPTER Z. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Sec. 341.901. WATCHMEN IN TYPE A GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITY. The governing body of a Type A general-law municipality may appoint watchmen and prescribe their powers and duties.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 341.902. WORKHOUSE AND HOUSE OF CORRECTION IN TYPE A GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITY. (a) The governing body of a Type A general-law municipality may build and establish one or more jails inside or outside the municipality.

(b) The governing body may adopt necessary rules and appoint necessary keepers or assistants for the jails.

(c) Vagrants and disorderly persons may be confined in a jail on commitment by a municipal court judge. A person who fails or refuses to pay the fine or costs imposed for an offense may be confined in a jail.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 402, Sec. 17, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

Sec. 341.903. AUTHORITY OF HOME-RULE MUNICIPALITY TO POLICE MUNICIPALLY OWNED PROPERTY OUTSIDE MUNICIPALITY. A home-rule municipality may police the following areas owned by and located outside the municipality:

(1) parks and grounds;

(2) lakes and land contiguous to and used in connection with a lake; and

(3) speedways and boulevards.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987.

Sec. 341.904. POSSESSION OR USE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IDENTIFICATION, INSIGNIA, OR VEHICLE IN A MUNICIPALITY. (a) In this section, "police identification item" means a badge, identification card, insignia, shoulder emblem, or uniform of a municipal police department.

(b) A person commits an offense if in a municipality the person intentionally or knowingly:

(1) uses, possesses, or wears:

(A) a police identification item of the municipal police department;

(B) an item bearing the insignia or design prescribed by the police chief of the municipality for officers and employees of the municipal police department to use while engaged in official activities; or

(C) within the municipal police department's jurisdiction, an item that is deceptively similar to a police identification item of the department;

(2) uses, within the municipal police department's jurisdiction, the name of the department in connection with an object to create the appearance that the object belongs to or is used by the department; or

(3) uses, possesses, or operates, within the municipal police department's jurisdiction, a marked patrol vehicle that is deceptively similar to a department patrol vehicle.

(c) An item or vehicle is deceptively similar to a police identification item or patrol vehicle of a municipal police department if the circumstances under which the object is used could mislead a reasonable person as to the object's identity.

(d) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.

Text of subsection effective until January 01, 2025

(e) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that:

(1) the object was used or intended to be used exclusively for decorative purposes and:

(A) the actor was not engaged in an activity involving police work or security work; or

(B) the object was used only in an artistic or dramatic presentation;

(2) the actor was engaged in the commercial manufacturing or commercial sales of the items described by Subsection (b);

(3) the actor was a licensed peace officer who:

(A) was on active duty discharging an official duty for an agency listed under Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, and acting under the agency's direct supervision; and

(B) was not privately employed as or hired on an individual or independent contractor basis as a patrolman, guard, watchman, flagman, or traffic conductor;

(4) the police chief consented, after determining that consent would serve law enforcement interests in the municipality, to the actor's:

(A) using or possessing a police identification item or other insignia of the municipal police department;

(B) using, possessing, or wearing an item or insignia similar to a police identification item or insignia of the municipal police department; or

(5) the actor prosecuted under this section for wearing a uniform wore a light blue uniform shirt in a municipality that uses a light blue uniform shirt with navy blue pocket flaps and epaulets for its police officers, if the actor's shirt did not have:

(A) the contrasting navy blue pocket flaps or epaulets found on the municipal police officers' uniform shirts; and

(B) a shoulder emblem similar in shape, color, or design to an emblem found on the municipal police officers' uniform shirts.

Text of subsection effective on January 01, 2025

(e) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that:

(1) the object was used or intended to be used exclusively for decorative purposes and:

(A) the actor was not engaged in an activity involving police work or security work; or

(B) the object was used only in an artistic or dramatic presentation;

(2) the actor was engaged in the commercial manufacturing or commercial sales of the items described by Subsection (b);

(3) the actor was a licensed peace officer who:

(A) was on active duty discharging an official duty for an agency listed under Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, and acting under the agency's direct supervision; and

(B) was not privately employed as or hired on an individual or independent contractor basis as a patrolman, guard, watchman, flagman, or traffic conductor;

(4) the police chief consented, after determining that consent would serve law enforcement interests in the municipality, to the actor's:

(A) using or possessing a police identification item or other insignia of the municipal police department;

(B) using, possessing, or wearing an item or insignia similar to a police identification item or insignia of the municipal police department; or

(A) the contrasting navy blue pocket flaps or epaulets found on the municipal police officers' uniform shirts; and

(B) a shoulder emblem similar in shape, color, or design to an emblem found on the municipal police officers' uniform shirts.

(f) The attorney general or a municipal attorney, district attorney, or prosecuting attorney performing the duties of district attorney for the district in which a court is located may apply to the district court to enjoin a violation of this section. A district court shall grant an injunction if evidence demonstrates that a violation has occurred or will likely occur.

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 10.05(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1995. Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 669, Sec. 101, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

Amended by:

Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1163 (H.B. 2702), Sec. 94, eff. September 1, 2011.

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 982 (H.B. 683), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2017.

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 982 (H.B. 683), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2017.

Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 765 (H.B. 4504), Sec. 2.143, eff. January 1, 2025.

Sec. 341.906. LIMITATIONS ON REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS IN GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITIES. (a) In this section:

(1) "Child safety zone" means premises where children commonly gather. The term includes a school, day-care facility, playground, public or private youth center, public swimming pool, video arcade facility, or other facility that regularly holds events primarily for children. The term does not include a church, as defined by Section 544.251, Insurance Code.

(2) "Playground," "premises," "school," "video arcade facility," and "youth center" have the meanings assigned by Section 481.134, Health and Safety Code.

(3) "Registered sex offender" means an individual who is required to register as a sex offender under Chapter 62, Code of Criminal Procedure.

(b) To provide for the public safety, the governing body of a general-law municipality by ordinance may restrict a registered sex offender from going in, on, or within a specified distance of a child safety zone in the municipality.

(c) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution of an offense under the ordinance that the registered sex offender was in, on, or within a specified distance of a child safety zone for a legitimate purpose, including transportation of a child that the registered sex offender is legally permitted to be with, transportation to and from work, and other work-related purposes.

(d) The ordinance may establish a distance requirement described by Subsection (b) at any distance of not more than 1,000 feet.

(e) The ordinance shall establish procedures for a registered sex offender to apply for an exemption from the ordinance.

(f) The ordinance must exempt a registered sex offender who established residency in a residence located within the specified distance of a child safety zone before the date the ordinance is adopted. The exemption must apply only to:

(1) areas necessary for the registered sex offender to have access to and to live in the residence; and

(2) the period the registered sex offender maintains residency in the residence.

Added by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 997 (H.B. 1111), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2017.