DEPARTMENT: Police
DEPARTMENT HEAD: William P. McManus
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
An Ordinance approving an interlocal agreement between the City of San Antonio (COSA) and contiguous municipalities establishing concurrent jurisdiction for all criminal cases arising from State law that are committed on the boundaries of COSA and those municipalities, or within 200 yards of that boundary and which are punishable by fine only.
SUMMARY:
An Ordinance approving an interlocal agreement between the City of San Antonio (COSA) and contiguous municipalities establishing concurrent jurisdiction for all criminal cases arising from State law that are committed on the boundaries of COSA and those municipalities, or within 200 yards of that boundary and which are punishable by fine only.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On June 19, 2015, Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 631 into law. The new law updates sections 4.14(f) of the Code of Criminal Procedure and 29.003(h) of the Government Code.
The previous law provided a municipality with a population of 1.9 Million or more the ability to enter into an agreement with another municipality contiguous to that municipality to extend the geographical jurisdiction of municipal courts to include certain "fine-only" offenses.
However, only one city was able to benefit from the law, but the City of San Antonio expressed interest in such an option as part of an effort to give law enforcement the ability to reallocate valuable resources to other areas in need. S.B. 631 addressed this issue by lowering the population threshold for applicable cities from 1.9 Million to 1.19 Million.
This ordinance allows the City Manager of the City of San Antonio to enter into such an agreement with these contiguous municipalities. The agreement would become effective immediately and terminate on September 1, 2020, unless an extension is agreed to by both parties.
ISSUE:
The pr...
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