Texas Education Code 51.214 – Security Officers for Medical Corporations in Certain Municipalities
(a) In any municipality with a population of 1.18 million or more located primarily in a county with a population of 2.5 million or more, the governing board of a private, nonprofit medical corporation, or of the parent corporation of such medical corporation, that provides police or security services for an institution of higher education or a private postsecondary educational institution located within one of the medical corporation’s or parent corporation’s medical complexes, or that provides police or security services for another medical complex legally affiliated with or owned, leased, managed, or controlled by the medical corporation or parent corporation, may employ and commission police or security personnel to enforce the law of this state within the jurisdiction designated by Subsection (c).
(b) An officer commissioned under this section may make arrests and has all the powers, privileges, and immunities of a peace officer while performing the officer’s assigned duties within the jurisdiction designated by Subsection (c). An officer assigned to duty and commissioned shall take and file the oath required of peace officers and shall execute and file a good and sufficient bond in the sum of $1,000, payable to the governor, with two or more good and sufficient sureties, conditioned that the officer will fairly, impartially, and faithfully perform the duties required of the officer by law. The bond may be sued on from time to time in the name of the person injured until the whole amount is recovered.
Terms Used In Texas Education Code 51.214
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Population: means the population shown by the most recent federal decennial census. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Property: means real and personal property. See Texas Government Code 311.005
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
(c) The jurisdiction of an officer commissioned under this section is limited to:
(1) property under the control and jurisdiction of the private, nonprofit medical corporation or its parent corporation or any entity legally affiliated with or owned, leased, managed, or controlled by the medical corporation or its parent corporation;
(2) a street or alley that abuts the property or an easement in or a right-of-way over or through the property described by Subdivision (1); and
(3) any other location in which the officer is performing duties assigned to the officer by the private, nonprofit medical corporation or its parent corporation, regardless of whether the officer is on property under the control and jurisdiction of the medical corporation or its parent corporation, provided that the assigned duties are consistent with the mission of the medical corporation or its parent corporation and are being performed within a county in which the medical corporation or its parent corporation owns real property.
(d) An officer commissioned under this section is not entitled to compensation or benefits provided by this state or a political subdivision of this state.
(e) The state or a political subdivision of this state is not liable for an act or omission of an officer commissioned under this section during the performance of the officer’s assigned duties.
(f) A person may not be commissioned under this section unless the person obtains a peace officer license issued by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. The employing medical corporation or parent corporation shall pay to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement on behalf of an employee any fees that are necessary to obtain a required license.
(g) A person’s commission and any authority to act as an officer under this section are automatically revoked if the person’s employment is terminated for any reason.