In The News → Re: Texas peace officer fatally shoot by suspect

Just an aside:

Is "peace officer " now the PC version of. "cop"? Makes them seem all soft and cuddly, doesn't?

Sorry to hear that he was killed. It takes a very special type of person to be a cop, to be willing to go into potental harm's way every single day, and it's a loss to us all when they are taken away from us.

Peace Officer is a commonly used term in Texas, both in the law and in common usage.

New York and many other states also use the term in their laws.

Yeah, but it's kind of vague. I mean, were we talking about an off-duty customs officer? Because he's a "peace officer" too.

If one means a police officer, one should say so.

It's not a vague term in Texas.

»www.tcleose.state.tx.us/ ··· rial.cfm
»www.statutes.legis.state ··· 1701.htm
»www.tcleose.state.tx.us/ ··· ions.cfm

Things vary in different states.

For example, in many states, a Justice of the Peace is a very minor official, but they have a fair amount of power in Texas. Ignorance of that led to a confrontation after JFK's assassination when the Feds wanted to take his body back to Washington right away.

Constables are Peace Officers, they are a rank lower then Sheriffs. They are the people who watch over people taking out their items of a foreclosed house at the last minute or makes sure no funny business is going on during parental visits for a child. They also are used for private parties. They pretty much keep the peace in check during private matters.