What is a Constable in Texas?

A constable or deputy constable is a county level law enforcement officer position in the State of Texas with duties relating to civil process.

All Constables within the State of Texas are fully certified police officers with the same powers and authority as Sheriff's Deputies and local police.

The primary duties of the constable's office include but are not limited to providing bailiff services to Justice of the Peace court rooms, serving civil process, executing warrants issued by the Justice of the Peace, and executing misdemeanor traffic warrants. Many constable offices also maintain the duties of school truancy officers within their assigned county.

While the primary duties of the constable's office revolve around serving civil process, they may also be called upon to perform more routine law enforcement functions like traffic enforcement, prisoner transport, traffic control, or assisting in local, county, state, or federal level task forces, depending on the level of involvement of the county. Constables perform the vital role of freeing up Sheriff's Deputies for more pressing criminal matters while increasing the amount of road presence and creating more of a deterrent for crime. The presence of a Deputy Constable's patrol vehicle on the road provides a safer operating environment for drivers and pedestrians in the area that the deputy constable is patrolling.

Deputy constables maintain the same training and certification requirements as any police officer in the State of Texas.

The history of the position of constable comes from Medieval England. The original Constables were military officers in households of knights and the position later adapted to become a law enforcement officer for small towns and local governments.

In most jurisdictions the position of constable has been phased out its responsibilities given to the county sheriff. Texas is one of the few states in which county constables and county sheriffs work together to provide law enforcement related duties to Texas residents. It is difficult to find a county in Texas without a person filling the role of constable.