Any Texas LEO please help

[dwl109]

I will be graduating from Western Illinois University in Spring of 2015 with my Bachelor's degree in Law Enforcement & Justice Administration. I feel like any police officer position is a game of waiting, and wanted to ask for advice. Should I apply for departments prior to finishing my degree? I realize different departments have different requirements, but would you guys finish up the Bachelor's, then apply, or is there a time in which I could apply before my Bachelors, and still graduate, then get a call back with less wait time.

The departments I have looked at are : Austin, Midland, San Antonio & Houston



Any and all advice is appreciated

[tpd320]

If I were in your shoes, finish up your degree then apply. It varies from department to department. A safe bet would be 3 months from the time you submit your application. That is probably about average from my experience. Wait till you have your bachelors. That would look good on an application in my opinion.

[Sierra259]

If I were in your shoes, finish up your degree then apply. It varies from department to department. A safe bet would be 3 months from the time you submit your application. That is probably about average from my experience. Wait till you have your bachelors. That would look good on an application in my opinion.

I'm sorry, but are you saying that it takes 3 months from date of application, on average, to get a job in LE?

Yeah, right. Maybe more like 9 months to a year...

[chapwolfe]

Your best bet is to contact the departments directly and ask them. All we can do is give a guess.

[ACCAV]

Assuming your BI is clean, Houston PD will accept you into the Academy without a degree as long as you have 48 semester hours towards a degree. After your probationary period, HPD offers tuition reimbursement if you plan on continuing your education.

https://Www.hpdcareer.com