Commissioners assign new JP courthouse security to constables after statute debate
Midland County Commissioners voted to make constables responsible for security at the new Justice of the Peace courthouse after debate over Texas Local Government Code 291.003 and staffing capacity in the sheriff’s office.
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County Commissioner Dianne Anderson raised the question of who will provide security for the new Justice of the Peace courthouse to inform upcoming budget decisions and said the court needed a clear answer before setting resources. Sheriff Criner cited the statute saying "the county sheriff shall have charge and control of the county courthouse," while County Attorney Russell Malm advised the court that the statute does not require the sheriff to be the only provider of courthouse security.
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