Relocating

[Samuelh16]

Hey guys I am currently a LEO in MS with 2 years of experience. I am looking at relocating to Texas. Does Texas require out of state transfers to go through the full academy again or do they allow you to go through a refresher course? Or is it up to the individual department? Also does anyone know of some good smaller departments in the DFW area that is hiring? Thanks!

[MPD Training]

Your answer will depend on what agency you contact. We (Mesquite PD) require all out of state transfers to go through the full academy. We have found this allows the out of state officer to develop a better understanding of Texas statutes and a better chance of success in the field. Our full academy is about 6 months long and does include defensive tactics, pepper spray, and taser exposure. However, we do pay for experience and it will be 6 months of days and weekends off. If you are interested, go to our recruiting site- www.iwanttobeacop.net to check us out. We also have a Facebook page- Mesquite Police Department- Texas Our recruiting site will have a list of test dates. You also might look at the thread I started earlier- Mesquite Texas 2021 test dates. Good luck in your search, I hope you find a department to your liking, if it is us that is even better.

[thirdgod]

I transferred to Texas from Arizona about 8 months ago now and I did not have to go through an academy again. You'll want to contacted TCOLE (Texas' POST agency) and research the requirement to qualify for a peace officer license. My process took about 3 months from when I submitted my initial paperwork until I took and passed the licensing exam.

Some agencies (such as Mesquite) will make you attend their academy if you come from out of state, even if you've already gotten a peace officer license. Some agencies (such as Houston, Dallas or DPS) will make you attend their academy even if you are transferring from another Texas agency. Most medium and smaller agencies will not and will hire as soon as you have your TCOLE license.

Feel free to PM me if you need more info. Good luck-