How to Become a TCLEOSE-Certified Peace Officer in Texas

The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE) certifies Texas peace officers who meet education and experience requirements. Peace officers generally work as municipal police officers, sheriff's deputies, state troopers or with other government law enforcement agencies. While TCLEOSE oversees peace officer training and licensing in Texas, individual law enforcement agencies generally train new personnel themselves. You must already have a high school diploma or GED to begin peace officer training in Texas and you must be at least 21 years old to qualify for TCLEOSE certification.

Instructions

1. Gain experience as a Texas peace officer. You must work at least one year as a peace officer before you can receive any level of TCLEOSE certification. The process to become a peace officer varies according to jurisdiction, but most Texas and municipal police forces as well as local sheriff's departments require that you undergo an extensive background check, physical assessment, interview process and police academy training before you can begin work as a peace officer.

2. Complete the required training elements. You must complete a department personnel orientation and a peace officer field training course to qualify for Basic Peace Officer Proficiency Certification. In almost every case, you will have completed these training elements as part of your standard peace officer training and will not need to take additional courses. If you have not completed these training requirements, you can find peace officer training courses at Texas police academies and some community colleges (see Resources). Once your record shows you have completed the training requirements and one year of service, TCLEOSE will send a Basic Peace Officer Proficiency Certificate to your employer agency.

3. Update your TCLEOSE certification. Once you have received your Basic Peace Officer Proficiency Certification, you can work toward higher levels of peace officer certification through a combination of training and experience. You must take TCLEOSE-approved courses in topics such as child abuse prevention, crime scene investigation and use of force to qualify for higher levels of TCLEOSE certification. The amount of training hours you require depends on how many years of service you have. For example, an officer with a Basic Peace Officer Proficiency Certification and two years of service requires 2,400 hours of training to qualify for an Intermediate Peace Officer Proficiency Certification; an officer with eight years of experience requires only 400 hours of training to qualify for Intermediate certification. The training and experience requirements increase as you reach the Advanced and Masters Peace Officer Proficiency Certification levels.

References

• Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education: Proficiency Certificates
• Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education: Basic Peace Officer Proficiency Certification
• Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education: Intermediate Peace Officer Proficiency Certification

Resources

• Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education
• Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education: Training Providers