Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1944 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Hoaomblo~Joha D. Rood,0~1rrrloo.r Bureau of &bor btrtlrtlo8 Awtio, 2uar hourr OF 0r •~ r-0 80pw80m 0~ in aa oit7or 8ore than twoat 5,000) lmMbltmtr ahall ba h- duty more t&n rlx (6) days in atg "'I?. rho proohlag rubditision shall not lp- 017 t0 00008 or me l*). -oh moeor,0r w ruohdepcrrt8ent la aa7 oity of momth8a tkirt thoouad 30,000 1 ia- lnbitrat8 -11 bo allouedIfftooa(15 I dap vaaa- tlon in -oh 7errvith ~7j protldo4that the Honorable John D. Reed, page 2 ~ovlalon of thI8 Motion of thlr Aot ah611 uot be applied to any membar of any euah department in any city of.more tlnaa thirty thowand (30,000) Inhabitants unle88 8uoh member adall have been regularly employed in rush department or depart- ments r0r a period 0r at leart one (l)!yoar. “‘4. I&oh preording Federal aensu8 8bsll de- termine the population. “‘5. The city orrioial8 having supervision of tha rlre~depsrtt8otIt and polloe department ah811 cleslgaate the da 8 ot the reek upon which eaoh ruoh member s&l I not be required to be on duty, aud the day8 upon vhioh each 8uoh member 8-11 be alloved to be on vacetiOa.l (Under8oorlng ours) "As far a8 I am able to determine, the stat- utes above quoted are the only laws ve hwe goterm- 10g the hour8 0r poliooreo in a oity 0r rirty-eight thowsand (58,000) as 8houn by the laastFederal con- 8US. "Thin Departmsut I8 in reaelpt of an inquiry from a cltg or the abovr slae oonosroing vhethsr or not it would be within the lav in ltutltutlng a propo8ed plan of work and 8alarlea for It8 polloe orrioera for the dwatlon or the war emergenoy. At the present time the pollee oitiOer8 are vorklng eight (8) hour8 per da six (6) dayr per reek, and are rsoelrl a 8aiiry 0r one Siundretd and sixtp Five Dollara ($5.00) per month. “Bocaum the City 18 &bls to replroe It8 per8onnel who h8ve entered the armed servlow, . both the remaining orrioem and the city OffiOial8 have tentatively agreed to a tvelve-hour day dur- ing the emergency period and tar this they are to receive compenrratlonfor the extra four (4.)hour8 at the MLP~Orata or py a8 regularly received. "Police departments, like many Industries, are faced with a problen or findlug quallfisd uork- ers, ati this plan 18 to only be used during the war emergency ror the proper protection oi llfs and property. 222 Honorable John D. Rood, paga 3 "will you plum oculdsr ths above pro- posed plur and advISe m Uh&hOr or not It oan b0 put ita0 Orr80t vithout viomirrg ouc rat- utes?" Ths olvll and penal statutes you hro quoted ~8 ths only lpplloablo ones t0 pollossea~s hour8 oi labOr In a aity or 58,000 popumlw. In both oodss the lav my not be relaxed sxospt ln a mlmsrgswy insofar as It lirits hour8 or work. What oonstitutss aa lmrgonoy is a qwstioa or raot la the aase of roh city of tha oUsa. We thlak the olty orrloials are ooqmtslrt to doternina whether an surgraoy la raOt SXi8tS. It IS a mttor or universal knorledgo that the d61~ndr or wr upon our mmapouerbr orratsd amwpnciss 10 all walks 0r lit0 and it 40s~ not seemraasouabl* to sap so that the cities or the State ars any Uceptioa to the r tar8. If the oity luthorltlos 80 dstsrrrine,it 18 our oplaioa tbat aa lrraugeasat ror six twelve-hour dais per ussk vould not violate the statutes refsrrd to. We rurther point out that thsro Is nothing in the statutas to prohibit a voluntary ar- raugswnt rush as you have outllnod even in the ab8enos Oi an 6mergeaoy. Vary truly yours ATTOlum OEHERAL OF TEXAS I5,db .