IMPERSONATE PUBLIC SERVANT

Texas Penal Code § 37.11 defines impersonating a public servant. A person commits the offense by impersonating a public servant with intent to induce another to submit to the person's pretended official authority or to rely on the person's pretended official acts, or by knowingly purporting to exercise, without legal authority, any function of a public servant or of a public office, including that of a judge and court. "Public servant" is broadly defined and includes peace officers, other government officers and employees, and jurors. The first prong requires both a false assumption of a public servant's identity and the specific intent that someone submit to or rely on the pretended authority; the second reaches those who actually purport to carry out official functions they have no legal authority to perform. The offense is a third-degree felony.

Ranges are the statutory maximums for the level; enhancements, prior convictions and plea agreements change what is actually imposed.

Across 788 Texas bail settings for this charge (6 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $10,000 (middle half: $5,000 – $20,000). 9% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 68 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (249 records), the median was $10,000 and 19% got a personal bond.

Showing the 5 counties with the most records; use the selector for any county with at least 30. Per-charge bond settings on original magistrations, from Texas OCA bail reporting under SB 6. Bail is set case by case — these are statistics, not a prediction.