How to Become a Police Officer in Allen, Texas

Allen Fire hires on a separate schedule. This page is the officer door, not the firefighter row. Public Safety Officer (Part-Time) and Citizens Police Academy are not this officer door. This page covers Allen PD.

The license is TCOLE's. The job is Allen PD's. Those are two gates. The Texas sequence is in How to Become a Police Officer in Texas. The license rules are in TCOLE peace officer license requirements. This page is drawn from the FY 2025-26 Police Pay Plan, Join Our Force, qualifications, laterals, the recruit process, FAQs, the NEOGOV POLICE board, prior Police Recruit 4327376, TCOLE Statewide Vacancies, and the department listing.

Department listing: Allen Police Department. Pay comparison: Texas police salary by department. That salary page still keeps N=12. Allen's adopted Recruit cell is sourced here and is not yet a row in that table. City hiring guides in this series: Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving, Frisco, McKinney, Mesquite, Grand Prairie, Denton, Houston, Lubbock, Amarillo, Brownsville, McAllen, Waco, Killeen, Pasadena, Texas City, Pearland, League City, Sugar Land, Lewisville, Carrollton, Richardson, Flower Mound, Rockwall, Lancaster, Cedar Hill, DeSoto.

What Allen PD actually is

Recruiting lives on Join Our Force. The department hub is allenpolice.org. Headquarters: 205 W. McDermott Drive, Allen, Texas 75013. Non-emergency 214.509.4200. Recruiter: 214.509.4210, policejobs@allentx.gov. cityofallen.org/158/Police 404s this retrieval. The department listing still points at that path.

Recruiting FAQs: Allen Police is not considered civil service. Filled sworn count, station count, call volume, and founding year are unpublished on the officer sources (0).

The live apply door

Apply on the City of Allen NEOGOV POLICE board. Retrieval is 2026-08-22. Two lateral cards are open:

• Police Officer (In-State Lateral), $95,976.35-$113,000.22, posted 07/06/2026, closes 09/10/2026.
• Police Officer (Out-of-State Lateral), same pay, same close.

No Police Recruit card sat on that board this retrieval.

Join Our Force 2026 recruit calendar:

• March 23 to May 22, 2026. Exam June 20, 2026. Academy Oct. 5, 2026. Past.
• June 29 to Aug. 14, 2026. Exam Sept. 19, 2026. Academy Feb. 8, 2027. Apply closed.
• Aug. 25 to Oct. 16, 2026. Exam Nov. 7, 2026. Academy Feb. 8, 2027. Next recruit window. Not yet open on 2026-08-22.

Applications are accepted only in those windows. If you cannot sit the named exam, do not apply for that date. The department will not hold paperwork. Exam dates may be canceled if there are no vacancies.

Police Recruit 4327376 still returns 200. Salary $91,106.10. Opening 07/06/2026. Closing 8/14/2026 5:00 PM Central. Header exam September 19, 2026. Special Requirements still say Saturday, June 20, 2026. That card is closed. The next recruit window on Join Our Force is November 7, not June 20.

The department listing still lists "No open posting recorded" next to $90,000. Laterals are open through September 10, 2026. That $90,000 is not the pay-plan Recruit cell.

TCOLE Statewide Vacancies does not reprint an Allen Police string this retrieval.

Minimum requirements

Police Officer Qualifications (the /about_allen_pd/police_officer_qualifications.php path 404s):

• At least age 21
• Citizen of the United States
• Bachelor's degree GPA 2.0 or higher; OR 4 years of active-duty military with an honorable discharge; OR 2 years current Allen PD employee with 30 college credits GPA 2.0 or higher; OR law enforcement experience with a municipality, Sheriff's Office, or DPS with 45 college credits GPA 2.0 or higher
• Honorable discharge from any and all military service, or proof of acceptable re-enlistment eligibility if prior service is uncharacterized
• Current and valid motor vehicle operator's license
• Not convicted of or received deferred adjudication for any family-violence offense
• Not on court-ordered community supervision or probation for any offense above Class B, or a Class B within the last ten years from the date of the court order
• Not ever convicted of an offense above Class B, or a Class B within the last ten years
• No pending criminal charges or indictment
• Not currently on court-ordered community service or probation for any criminal offense
• Not have had a TCOLE license revoked or suspended

Police Recruit 4327376 prints the first three education paths and omits the fourth (LE plus 45 credits). The qualifications page and the recruit card lists are both published. They are not the same list.

FAQs: you must be 21 years old to apply. That 21 line is Allen PD's hiring line. TCOLE's own floor is 21, or 18 with an associate's degree, 60 semester hours, or an honorable discharge after two years of active service (37 TAC 217.1(b)(1)(A)). Those are not the same measuring point. Read TCOLE peace officer license requirements.

U.S. citizen is Allen PD's hiring line. TCOLE's matching rule is 37 TAC 217.1(b)(17): U.S. citizen, or a legal permanent resident who is an honorably discharged veteran with two years of service and has applied for citizenship.

A current valid motor vehicle operator's license, and a Texas driver's license before employment, is Allen's hiring card. TCOLE does not require a Texas license. TCOLE's floor is not prohibited from operating a motor vehicle, 37 TAC 217.1(b)(8).

Qualifications on Class A: conviction or admission to a Class A or a felony is a permanent bar. TCOLE's Class A bar is conviction or court-ordered community supervision, lifetime (37 TAC 217.1(b)(4), (b)(6)). Only Class B carries the ten-year lookback. Qualifications on family violence: conviction or deferred adjudication. TCOLE bars conviction or community supervision for family violence, 217.1(b)(7). The city line and the TCOLE floor are both published.

The test, PAT as printed

Recruit Hiring Process: entrance examination, physical assessment, oral board, background, polygraph, psychological (rating 4.0 or above), physical examination and drug screen, then the Chief or designee. Recruiter 214.509.4210.

Process: four-part exam, reading comprehension, basic arithmetic, spelling/grammar, writing skills. Study guide (PDF) at FPSI NPST, $20.

Purchase the PACT (Police Aptitude and Character Test) at FPSI PACT. Cost $20.

Recruit card 4327376: four-part exam, 70, and a PACT orientation guide at $15.00. The process page and FAQs print $20. The recruit card prints $15.00. Those prices are not the same. NPST and PACT are both printed as named.

Physical assessment, same events on process, FAQs, and laterals:

• 1.5 mile run within 15:26
• 300 meter run within 62 seconds
• 26 push-ups with no time limit
• 30 sit-ups within 60 seconds

Pass each element. Not CPAT. Not Allen Fire's PAT.

Academy length

Named recruit academy hour count unpublished. Join Our Force prints an academy class starting February 8, 2027 for the September 19 cycle and the November 7 cycle. Academy week count is unpublished as a hiring-page figure. Lateral Entry prints a 6-week new hire training, then field training. That 6-week line is laterals, not the recruit academy.

See What to expect at a Texas police academy.

Laterals

Lateral Entry is open to out-of-state officers and in-state TCOLE certified officers. Testing by appointment. Out-of-state applicants: the department tries to limit the process to two trips to Allen.

Out-of-state:

• Eligible for TCOLE certification and the TCOLE Out-of-State Officer Eligibility Requirements. You do not have to hold the TCOLE license to apply. Once hired, the department trains you for the state exam.
• Minimum two years continuous paid full-time certified peace officer with full law enforcement authority
• Not currently under investigation or disciplinary action for misconduct or criminal activity
• If less than 3 years of law enforcement experience, at least 30 college credits GPA 2.0 or higher. If more than 3 years, no college credits required

In-state TCOLE certified:

• Same two-year continuous paid full-time certified peace officer floor
• Valid TCOLE license
• Same 3-year / 30-credit split

Starting salary by years of experience on that lateral table (cents dropped vs the pay plan):

• 1 Year $95,976
• 2 Years $99,975
• 3 Years $104,141
• 4 Years $108,480
• 5+ Years $113,000

Those rounded cells sit next to pay-plan Step 1 $95,976.35 through Step 5 $113,000.22. The cents are not the same as the rounded table.

Pay and benefits

Dated first cell, FY 2025-26 Police Pay Plan Recruit grade 60:

• Recruit $91,106.10
• Officer Step 1 $95,976.35
• Officer Step 2 $99,975.37
• Officer Step 3 $104,141.01
• Officer Step 4 $108,480.21
• Officer Step 5 $113,000.22

The recruit cell on this page is $91,106.10. FAQs: starting salary for the police recruit position is $91,106. Upon being sworn in as an officer, pay increases to $95,976. Top out in 5 years at $113,000. The department listing's $90,000 is not the pay-plan Recruit cell. The fire listing's $75,000 is fire pay, not this department. Officer Step 1 is not the cadet start.

Pay plan annual add-ons:

• TCOLE certification: Intermediate $50/month ($600/year), Advanced $100/month ($1,200/year), Masters $150/month ($1,800/year)
• Education pay after year 1: Associates $60/month, Bachelors $110/month, Masters $150/month
• Clothing $200/month
• FTO (code 702) $250/month ($3,000/year)
• SWAT $100/month
• Shift differential $200/month
• Instructor pay 5 percent of base
• Language conversational / reading / writing $25/month each

FAQs reprint those TCOLE, education, SWAT, shift, clothing, instructor, and language lines, and print Field Training Officer at $200 per month. The pay plan prints $250. The FAQ prints $200. Those FTO cells are both published.

FAQs benefits as printed: salary and benefits while attending the Police Academy; paid vacation and holidays; life, health, and dental insurance; longevity $4 per month of service as a yearly bonus; TMRS 2:1 match upon retirement, 5-year vesting. No tuition reimbursement; full-time employees are eligible for education assistance after probation. Patrol officers work 12-hour shifts. No contract.

Sources, used 2026-08-22

• FY 2025-26 Police Pay Plan (Recruit $91,106.10; Officer Step 1 $95,976.35 through Step 5 $113,000.22; FTO $250/month; effective October 4, 2025 merit lump sums discontinued; retrieved 2026-08-22)

• Join Our Force (Aug 25-Oct 16, 2026 window; exam Nov 7, 2026; academy Feb 8, 2027; retrieved 2026-08-22)

• Police Officer Qualifications (age 21; US citizen; four education paths; Class A / family-violence lines; retrieved 2026-08-22)

• Lateral Entry (2 years continuous; 6-week new hire training; rounded lateral table; retrieved 2026-08-22)

• Recruiting FAQs (recruit $91,106; sworn $95,976; top $113,000; not civil service; 21 to apply; 100 questions / 3 hours; FTO $200; TMRS 2:1; retrieved 2026-08-22)

• NEOGOV POLICE board (in-state 4327313 and out-of-state 4327338 close 09/10/2026; no recruit card; retrieved 2026-08-22)

• Police Recruit 4327376 ($91,106.10; closed 8/14/2026; exam Sept 19; June 20; $15.00 PACT)

• TCOLE Statewide Vacancies (no Allen Police string; retrieved 2026-08-22)

• Adopted 37 TAC §217.1, effective June 1, 2026 (TCOLE license floor; retrieved 2026-08-22)

• allen-police-department (200, $90,000, top-paying, No open posting); allen-fire-department ($75,000)