Texas Attorney General Opinion: LO92-071 Page: 6 of 7
7 p.View a full description of this text.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Honorable Ron Wilson - Page 6 (W-92-71)
involve METRO property in any of the 16 political subdivisions comprising METRO.
We conclude that METRO peace officers enjoy concurrent jurisdiction with Houston
police officers to investigate traffic accidents in the city.
Section 13(c) of article 1118x authorizes an MTA to employ peace officers
and defines their duties:
An authority may employ and commission its own peace
officers with the power to make arrests in all counties where the
system is located when necessary to prevent or abate the
commission of an offense against the laws of the state or a
political subdivision of the state when the offense or threatened
offense occurs on or involves the system of the authority, to
make arrests in cases of an offense involving injury or detriment
to the system, to enforce all traffic laws and investigate traffic
accidents which involve or occur in the system, and to provide
emergency and public safety services to the system or persons
who use the system.
Any person, for an authority in which the principal city has a
population of more than 1.5 million according to the most recent
decennial census, commissioned under this section must be a
certified peace officer who meets the requirements of the Texas
Comission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and
Education, who shall file with the authority the sworn oath
required of peace officers, and who is vested with all the powers,
privileges, and immunities of peace officers in all counties where
the system is located, provides services, or is supported by a general
sales and use taxr.
V.T.C.S. art. 1118x, 13(c) (emphasis added). Attorney General Opinion JM-1238
(1990) determined that by virtue of this language and the definition of "system" in
article 1118x, peace officers employed by METRO are empowered to make arrests,
enforce traffic laws, investigate traffic accidents, and provide emergency and public
safety services within the entire geographical area encompassed by METRO,
including within the boundaries of its enclave cities.
The city of Houston is the principal city forming METRO. See City of Humble
v. Metrpolitan Transit Auth., 636 S.W.2d 484 (Tex. App.-Austin 1982, writ refdn.r.e.), appeal dism'd 464 U.S. 802 (1983). METRO peace officers may therefore
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This text can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Text.
Texas. Attorney-General's Office. Texas Attorney General Opinion: LO92-071, text, November 3, 1992; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth276570/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.