Requirements & Disqualifiers

By becoming a police officer you accept a tremendous responsibility in the community. Therefore, the requirements and training for the job are thorough.

Minimum requirements include:

• Citizenship: Must be a United States citizen at the time of application.
• Minimum Age: Must be 21 years of age by the applicable academy state exam date (TCOLE).
• Maximum Age: Must not have reached your 45th birthday by entrance exam date.
• Education: High school diploma/G.E.D. and have completed at least 15 hours at an institution of higher education with at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.
• College waived with: an honorable discharge from the U.S. armed forces after at least 24 months of continuous active duty service; or 24 months continuous experience as a paid, full-time police officer.
• Vision: Those who wear glasses or hard contact lenses must have uncorrected visual acuity of at least 20/100 in each eye correctable to 20/20. Wearers of soft contact lenses are exempt from uncorrected visual acuity.
• Normal color and peripheral vision.
• Hearing: Normal hearing in both ears.

Any of the following will disqualify an applicant from further consideration at any stage of the employment process.
This list is not all-inclusive.

• Failure to meet the minimum requirements for the position applied.
• Have been convicted of an offense above the grade of a Class B misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the last ten years.
• Have been on court-ordered community supervision or probation for any criminal offense above the grade of Class B misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the last ten years.
• Have been or currently on court-ordered community supervision or probation for any criminal offense above the grade of Class B misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the last ten (10) years from the date of the court order.
• Currently under indictment for any criminal offense.
• Have been convicted, received deferred judgment, place on court ordered probation or community supervision for any felony offense.
• Have been convicted of and/or received a deferred judgment for any Family Violence offense.
• Is prohibited by state or federal law from operating a motor vehicle.
• Is prohibited by state or federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.
• Have been discharged from any military service under less than honorable conditions including, specifically:
  • anything other than honorable conditions; bad conduct; dishonorable or any other characterization of service indicating bad character;
• Had a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education License denied by final order or revoked, currently on suspension, or have a voluntary surrender of license currently in effect.
• Is of undesirable character or reputation.
• Have an excessive record of traffic convictions or negligent traffic collisions.
• Have illegally used marijuana within the last two years preceding the date of the Civil Service exam and up to and including the date of appointment.
• Within five (5) years preceding the date of the Civil Service written exam or during the hiring process, having used any illegal drug or controlled substance other than marijuana. However, some illegal drugs or controlled substances tried, experimented with, used or tasted may be an automatic disqualifier (contact the personnel office for more information).
• Having illegally engaged in the manufacture, production or sale, with or without profit, of any drug listed in the Texas Controlled Substance Act. (Prescription drugs are included).
• Failing to cooperate fully with the personnel staff and keeping all scheduled appointments; failing to provide the needed documents within the specified time limits; failing to provide added personal information as needed, or failing to update changes within ten (10) days of the change will disqualify an applicant from the hiring process.
• Making any false statement of facts; being deceptive by statement or omission in the Preliminary application or Personal History Statement or by any means in any part of the selection process.
• Any applicant for an entry position in the Police Department who was rejected in any part of the background check (polygraph, administrative review, psychological or oral board interview) shall not be allowed to make application to take another examination for one calendar year from Civil Service entrance test date.