Lateral Program
Police Officer applicants are eligible for the lateral police officer program if they are currently employed as a full-time certified peace officer with a public law enforcement agency.
Lateral Police Officers with at least three (3) years full-time, certified experience are exempt from the college hour requirement if their police officer experience is immediately preceding the submission of their application.
A Lateral Police Officer is eligible for a starting salary based on their whole years of police officer experience. Service time, for determining the starting salary, can include multiple agencies if breaks in service are less than thirty (30) days.
Police Officers who are TCLEOSE certified with at least 12 months of patrol experience are eligible for an abbreviated training program. This consists of 9 weeks of updates on policies and procedures and field training which is based on performance.
Police Officers, who are not TCLEOSE certified at the time of hire, will likely be required to attend a full academy, unless a sufficient number of Lateral Police Officers are hired at one time to support offering the supplemental training course required by the Texas licensing agency for out-of-state officers. Out of state laterals may contact TCLEOSE to challenge the TCLEOSE exam. The certification through TCLEOSE must be completed before the applicant’s hire date to prevent applicant from being required to attend a Basic Police Academy. http://www.tcleose.state.tx.us/
All training for Lateral Officers is based on an adult education program and principles. Emphasis is placed on classroom updates and practical exercises rather than a military-oriented training program. Lateral police officers will complete all the same hiring steps as a new applicant and will need to register for an exam day.
