Penal Code § 38.15(b) · Class B misdemeanor

INTERFER W/PUBLIC DUTIES

Interference with Public Duties in Texas: what bail is set at, how often a personal bond is granted, and what usually happens to the charge.

$2,000
Median cash bail
16%
Released on personal bond
15,639
Bail records
80%
Not convicted
212 days
Median time to disposition

What “INTERFER W/PUBLIC DUTIES” means

Texas Penal Code § 38.15 defines interference with public duties. A person commits the offense by interrupting, disrupting, impeding, or otherwise interfering — with criminal negligence — with a peace officer while the officer is performing a duty or exercising authority imposed or granted by law. The statute extends the same protection to emergency medical services personnel, firefighters, and certain other listed public-safety functions, including emergency radio communications, while duties are being performed. The required mental state is criminal negligence, meaning the actor ought to have been aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the conduct would interfere with the protected duty. The statute provides a defense when the alleged interruption or interference consisted of speech only. Subsection (b) classifies the offense as a Class B misdemeanor.

Charged asShare of bail recordsPossible confinementFineSource
Class B misdemeanor100% Up to 180 days in county jail Fine up to $2,000 Penal Code § 12.22

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

Bail for INTERFER W/PUBLIC DUTIES in Texas

Across 15,639 Texas bail settings for this charge (69 counties, Apr 2022 – Jun 2025), the median cash or surety bond was $2,000 (middle half: $1,000 – $4,000). 16% of defendants were released on a personal bond, and bail was denied in 117 cases. When this was the only charge at booking (4,489 records), the median was $1,000 and 30% got a personal bond.

CountyRecordsMedian cash bailMiddle halfPersonal bondDenied
Tarrant 1,590 $1,000 $500 – $2,000 16% 1%
Bexar 928 $1,500 $1,000 – $2,500 16% 2%
El Paso 896 $1,500 $1,000 – $3,000 18% 0%
Harris 797 $1,000 $500 – $3,000 67% 0%
Hays 713 $2,500 $1,500 – $5,000 25% 3%

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.

What usually happens to a INTERFER W/PUBLIC DUTIES charge

Of 4,469 INTERFER W/PUBLIC DUTIES charges filed 2019–2023 across 15 counties (Bastrop, Bell, Brazoria, Collin, Comal, Dallas, Denton, FortBend, Galveston, Harris, Hays, Montgomery, Rockwall, Travis, Williamson), 90% have reached a disposition:

80%
Not convicted (3,579)
Dismissed by the prosecutor75%
Dismissed after a diversion program0%
Dismissed, but convicted on a companion charge4%
Dismissed — refiled or handled in another case2%
Acquitted at trial0%
5%
Deferred adjudication (215)
Deferred adjudication5%
15%
Convicted (664)
Guilty or no-contest plea13%
Plea to a lesser charge2%
Found guilty at trial0%
Convicted (plea vs. trial not recorded)0%

How long it takes: the median INTERFER W/PUBLIC DUTIES charge took 212 days from filing to disposition (middle half: 79 – 400 days, 4,469 charges).

CountyDisposedNot convictedDeferredConvictedMedian days
Harris2,957 88%1%11% 185
Dallas423 73%11%14% 393
Collin206 42%25%33% 162
Williamson186 73%6%22% 288
Galveston152 79%3%18% 171
FortBend121 72%5%23% 315

Outcome is the final disposition recorded on the charge. “Other” (11) covers waived counts, bond forfeitures, transfers and unrecorded outcomes. Bexar County records disposition dates but not outcomes, so it counts toward time-to-disposition only. Tarrant County criminal records are not in this dataset.

Recent INTERFER W/PUBLIC DUTIES cases

CaseCountyFiledDisposedOutcome
26-03895-5WilliamsonJun 26, 2026Aug 27, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
26-CCR-249097FortBendApr 13, 2026Aug 25, 2026Guilty or no-contest plea
263437901010HarrisAug 10, 2026Aug 24, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
60,679BastropSep 25, 2025Aug 20, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
25-03371-3WilliamsonJun 3, 2025Aug 20, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
26-04753-2WilliamsonAug 12, 2026Aug 19, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
M-25-45948DallasMar 5, 2026Aug 19, 2026Guilty or no-contest plea
M-25-00653DallasOct 28, 2025Aug 18, 2026Guilty or no-contest plea
25-05154-2WilliamsonSep 3, 2025Aug 17, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor
21-02162-2WilliamsonJul 21, 2021Aug 17, 2026Dismissed by the prosecutor

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Bail data: Texas Office of Court Administration magistration reports (SB 6), Apr 2022 – Jun 2025. Court outcomes: county district and county clerk records. Statistics describe past cases and are not legal advice; every case is decided on its own facts.