Criminal defense across Denton County and Collin County

Interference with Public Duties

Chapter 38 of the Texas Penal Code defines offenses relating to the obstruction of governmental operation.

“Interference with Public Duties,” as per § 38.15 of the Texas Penal Code, occurs when a person with criminal negligence interrupts, disrupts, impedes, or otherwise interferes with:

a peace officer while the peace officer is performing a duty or exercising authority imposed or granted by law;

a person who is employed to provide emergency medical services, including the transportation of ill or injured persons while the person is performing that duty;

a firefighter, while the firefighter is fighting a fire or investigating the cause of a fire;

an animal under the supervision of a peace officer, corrections officer, or jailer, if the person knows the animal is being used for law enforcement, corrections, prison or jail security, or investigative purposes;

the transmission of a communication over a citizen's band radio channel, the purpose of which communication is to inform or inquire about an emergency;

an officer with responsibility for animal control in a county or municipality, while the officer is performing a duty or exercising authority imposed or granted under Chapter 821 or 822, Health and Safety Code; or

a person who:

has responsibility for assessing, enacting, or enforcing public health, environmental, radiation, or safety measures for the state or a county or municipality;

is investigating a particular site as part of the person's responsibilities under Paragraph (A);

is acting in accordance with policies and procedures related to the safety and security of the site described by Paragraph (B); and

is performing a duty or exercising authority imposed or granted under the Agriculture Code, Health and Safety Code, Occupations Code, or Water Code.

An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.