Attorney General Opinions and Advisory Letters

Decision Information

Opinion No. 22-3295

Collection Attorney General Opinions and Advisory Letters
Date 02/21/1922
File Number 1922 Op. Att'y Gen. No. 22-3295

Decision Content

Opinion No. 22-3295

February 21, 1922

BY: HARRY S. BOWMAN, Attorney General

TO: Mr. Fred C. Stringfellow, Assistant District Attorney, Raton, New Mexico.

Offering Reward Payable From County Funds for Capture of Criminals.

OPINION

{*125} In reply to that part of your letter of the 7th instant asking if Boards of County Commissioners have authority to offer rewards for the capture and conviction of criminals, I wish to advise you that {*126} there is no statutory authority for the expenditure of county funds for such purpose.

It might be held that Boards of County Commissioners, under their broad statutory powers, might use county funds to pay rewards for the capture and conviction of criminals, but it would be necessary that provision for the collection of such funds should be contained in the regular county budgets. If the budget of your county has an item covering such a fund, then probably the expenditure thereof by the Board of County Commissioners would be proper.

 You are being directed to the most recent version of the statute which may not be the version considered at the time of the judgment.