If you live in Austin, I suppose there is a chance you may have actually been cited for minor pot possession (under 4 oz.) instead of being taken to jail. Or maybe for driving with a suspended license, criminal mischief, or maybe a minor theft.
In 2007, the Texas Legislature passed a law that gives officers the discretion to cite individuals rather than arresting them and taking them to the county jail. The law was based on simple economics: give them a citation telling them when to show up at court, and get the officer back on the street to protect the community against more serious crimes. Unfortunately, the law was not embraced by law enforcement outside of Austin. In fact, the Travis County Sheriff's Department (who supported the law) was one of the only offices to implement the process to any degree.
Here's a recent article from the Daily Texan (UT Student Newspaper) regarding folks encouraging law enforcement to take advantage of the money-saving, and community-protecting law more fully in Austin.
http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2008/07/25/TopStories/Advocates.Ask.Police.To.Give.FieldRelease.Citations-3394523.shtml
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