All state penal codes have written sections that allow cops to commit misdemeanors in the carrying out of their duties. Otherwise no criminals would ever be caught. The legislature has the police departments set up policies and procedures to guide their officers. The reason a case is tossed by the prosecution for an officer having sex is because most policies preclude the officer from doing it. The departments policies and procedures hence is treated like law in the court room. The case is tossed at that time. Now if there is no policy forbidding it go back to cops can commit a misdemeanor in the course of enforcing the law.
Originally Posted by Monkey Butt
Here is the code, slick...where is the section that allows police to commit misdemeanors in Texas?
PENAL CODE
TITLE 9. OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND DECENCY
CHAPTER 43. PUBLIC INDECENCY
SUBCHAPTER A. PROSTITUTION
Sec. 43.01. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
(1) "Deviate sexual intercourse" means any contact between the genitals of one person and the mouth or anus of another person.
(1-a) "Fee" means the payment or offer of payment in the form of money, goods, services, or other benefit.
(2) "Prostitution" means the offense defined in Section 43.02.
(3) "Sexual contact" means any touching of the anus, breast, or any part of the genitals of another person with intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person.
(4) "Sexual conduct" includes deviate sexual intercourse, sexual contact, and sexual intercourse.
(5) "Sexual intercourse" means any penetration of the female sex organ by the male sex organ.
Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 373, ch. 168, Sec. 2, eff. Aug. 27, 1979; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.
Amended by:
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 685 (H.B. 29), Sec. 35, eff. September 1, 2017.
Sec. 43.02. PROSTITUTION.
(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly offers or agrees to receive a fee from another to engage in sexual conduct.
(b) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly offers or agrees to pay a fee to another person for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct with that person or another.
(b-1) Repealed by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 685 (H.B. 29), Sec. 44(2), eff. September 1, 2017.
(c) An offense under Subsection (a) is a Class B misdemeanor, except that the offense is:
(1) a Class A misdemeanor if the actor has previously been convicted one or two times of an offense under Subsection (a); or
(2) a state jail felony if the actor has previously been convicted three or more times of an offense under Subsection (a).
(c-1) An offense under Subsection (b) is a Class B misdemeanor, except that the offense is:
(1) a Class A misdemeanor if the actor has previously been convicted one or two times of an offense under Subsection (b);
(2) a state jail felony if the actor has previously been convicted three or more times of an offense under Subsection (b); or
(3) a felony of the second degree if the person with whom the actor agrees to engage in sexual conduct is:
(A) younger than 18 years of age, regardless of whether the actor knows the age of the person at the time of the offense;
(B) represented to the actor as being younger than 18 years of age; or
(C) believed by the actor to be younger than 18 years of age.
(d) It is a defense to prosecution for an offense under Subsection (a) that the actor engaged in the conduct that constitutes the offense because the actor was the victim of conduct that constitutes an offense under Section 20A.02 or 43.05.
(e) A conviction may be used for purposes of enhancement under this section or enhancement under Subchapter D, Chapter 12, but not under both this section and Subchapter D, Chapter 12. For purposes of enhancement of penalties under this section or Subchapter D, Chapter 12, a defendant is previously convicted of an offense under this section if the defendant was adjudged guilty of the offense or entered a plea of guilty or nolo contendere in return for a grant of deferred adjudication, regardless of whether the sentence for the offense was ever imposed or whether the sentence was probated and the defendant was subsequently discharged from community supervision.
Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 757, ch. 286, Sec. 1, eff. May 27, 1977; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 987, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.
Amended by:
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1002 (H.B. 4009), Sec. 8, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 515 (H.B. 2014), Sec. 4.02, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1252 (H.B. 8), Sec. 15, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 332 (H.B. 10), Sec. 14, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1273 (S.B. 825), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 685 (H.B. 29), Sec. 36, eff. September 1, 2017.
Reenacted and amended by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 685 (H.B. 29), Sec. 37, eff. September 1, 2017.
Amended by:
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 685 (H.B. 29), Sec. 44(2), eff. September 1, 2017.
Reenacted and amended by Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1038 (H.B. 1808), Sec. 8, eff. September 1, 2017.
Sec. 43.03. PROMOTION OF PROSTITUTION. (a) A person commits an offense if, acting other than as a prostitute receiving compensation for personally rendered prostitution services, he or she knowingly:
(1) receives money or other property pursuant to an agreement to participate in the proceeds of prostitution; or
(2) solicits another to engage in sexual conduct with another person for compensation.
(b) An offense under this section is a state jail felony, except that the offense is:
(1) a felony of the third degree if the actor has been previously convicted of an offense under this section; or
(2) a felony of the second degree if the actor engages in conduct described by Subsection (a)(1) or (2) involving a person younger than 18 years of age engaging in prostitution, regardless of whether the actor knows the age of the person at the time of the offense.
Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 758, ch. 287, Sec. 1, eff. May 27, 1977; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.
Amended by:
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1252 (H.B. 8), Sec. 16, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 685 (H.B. 29), Sec. 38, eff. September 1, 2017.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1038 (H.B. 1808), Sec. 9, eff. September 1, 2017.
Sec. 43.04. AGGRAVATED PROMOTION OF PROSTITUTION. (a) A person commits an offense if he knowingly owns, invests in, finances, controls, supervises, or manages a prostitution enterprise that uses two or more prostitutes.
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the second degree, except that the offense is a felony of the first degree if the prostitution enterprise uses as a prostitute one or more persons younger than 18 years of age, regardless of whether the actor knows the age of the person at the time of the offense.
Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.
Amended by:
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1252 (H.B. 8), Sec. 17, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 685 (H.B. 29), Sec. 39, eff. September 1, 2017.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1038 (H.B. 1808), Sec. 10, eff. September 1, 2017.
Sec. 43.05. COMPELLING PROSTITUTION. (a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly:
(1) causes another by force, threat, or fraud to commit prostitution; or
(2) causes by any means a child younger than 18 years to commit prostitution, regardless of whether the actor knows the age of the child at the time of the offense.
(b) An offense under Subsection (a)(1) is a felony of the second degree. An offense under Subsection (a)(2) is a felony of the first degree.
(c) If conduct constituting an offense under this section also constitutes an offense under another section of this code, the actor may be prosecuted under either section or under both sections.
Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.
Amended by:
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1002 (H.B. 4009), Sec. 9, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 24), Sec. 1.03, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1273 (S.B. 825), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 685 (H.B. 29), Sec. 40, eff. September 1, 2017.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1038 (H.B. 1808), Sec. 11, eff. September 1, 2017.
Sec. 43.06. ACCOMPLICE WITNESS; TESTIMONY AND IMMUNITY. (a) A party to an offense under this subchapter may be required to furnish evidence or testify about the offense.
(b) A party to an offense under this subchapter may not be prosecuted for any offense about which he is required to furnish evidence or testify, and the evidence and testimony may not be used against the party in any adjudicatory proceeding except a prosecution for aggravated perjury.
(c) For purposes of this section, "adjudicatory proceeding" means a proceeding before a court or any other agency of government in which the legal rights, powers, duties, or privileges of specified parties are determined.
(d) A conviction under this subchapter may be had upon the uncorroborated testimony of a party to the offense.
Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.