Law Enforcement Academy Admission

Commission Rule: §215.15 Enrollment Standards

(a) In order for an individual to enroll in any basic licensing course which provides instruction in defensive tactics, arrest procedures, firearms, or use of a motor vehicle for law enforcement purposes, the academy must have on file:

(1)  written documentation that the person is currently licensed by the commission; or
(2)  if the person is not licensed by the commission, documentation that the individual has been subjected to a search of local, state and national records to disclose any criminal record;
(A) is not currently charged with any criminal offense for which conviction would be a bar to licensure;
(B) community supervision history:

(i) has never been on court-ordered community supervision or probation for any criminal offense above the grade of a Class B misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the last ten years from the date of the court order; but
(ii) the commission may approve the application of an individual who received probation or court-ordered community supervision for a Class B misdemeanor at least five (5) years prior to enrollment if an agency administrator sufficiently demonstrates in writing with supporting documentation that mitigating circumstances exist with the case and with the individual applying for licensure, and that the public interest would be served by reducing the waiting period;

(C) conviction history:

(i) has never been convicted of an offense above the grade of a Class B misdemeanor or a Class B misdemeanor within the last ten years; but
(ii) the commission may approve the application of an individual who was convicted of a Class B misdemeanor at least five (5) years prior to enrollment if an agency administrator sufficiently demonstrates in writing with supporting documentation that mitigating circumstances exist with the case and with the individual applying for licensure, and that the public interest would be served by reducing the waiting period.

(D) For purposes of this section, the commission will construe any court-ordered community supervision, probation, or conviction for a criminal offense to be its closest equivalent under the Texas Penal Code classification of offenses if the offense arose from:

(i) another penal provision of Texas law; or
(ii) a penal provision of any other state, federal, military or foreign jurisdiction.

(E) A classification of an offense as a felony at the time of conviction will never be changed because Texas law has changed or because the offense would not be a felony under current Texas law.
(F) has never been convicted of any family violence offense;
(G) is not prohibited by state or federal law from operating a motor vehicle;
(H) is not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition; and
(I) is a U.S. citizen.

(b) In order for an individual to enroll in any basic peace officer training program which provides instruction in defensive tactics, arrest procedures, firearms, or use of a motor vehicle for law enforcement purposes, the academy must have on file:

(1) a high school diploma;
(2) a high school equivalency certificate and has completed at least 12 hours at an institution of higher education with at least a 2.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale; or
(3) an honorable discharge from the armed forces of the United States after at least 24 months of active duty service;

(c) The enrollment standards established in this section do not preclude the academy licensee from establishing additional requirements or standards for enrollment in law enforcement training programs.

I hereby authorize the above training provider to request that the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education obtain a TCIC/NCIC (Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Federal Bureau of Investigation) criminal history record check, for the purposes of determining my qualification, as attested to on this form, to enroll in the Basic Peace Officer or Basic Jailer course. I further authorize the commission to inform the training provider of my qualification status based on the record check.

I, the applicant, am fully aware that this application is a government document and, under penalties of perjury, I declare the foregoing information to be true and correct.

This is a condensed version of the TCLEOSE rules, though; no wording has been changed or deleted. You may view the complete rules on the TCLEOSE website.