How to Become a Police Officer in Houston, Texas

Houston Police Department Recruiting is the recruiting index. Apply on the NEOGOV bulletin. The process lives on Application Process.

Houston is a Chapter 143 city. The FAQ is the live door on the entrance exam: you do not take a civil service test to apply. The civil service test is administered in the academy. A 2005 hiring-process PDF still hosted on hpdcareer.com says the first step is a Chapter 143 entrance examination, age 21-44, and 60 college hours. That 2005 PDF is not the live process. Do not apply it.

The license is TCOLE's. The job is Houston'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 HPD Recruiting's own documents plus the city's Police Trainee bulletin.

Department listing: Houston Police Department. Pay comparison: Texas police salary by department. That salary page still keeps Houston out of the N=12 table because that collection is DFW municipal departments plus Texas DPS. Exhibit A Grade III 1 Year 3,115.39 biweekly is now the governing first-year base on this hiring guide; NEOGOV still lists $78,452. City hiring guides in this series: Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving, Frisco, McKinney, Mesquite, Grand Prairie, Denton. Texas DPS hiring from Training Operations is How to Become a Texas State Trooper. Lubbock hiring from Recruiting, the 2025-26 pay scale, NEOGOV 5405047, and lateral 5097636 is How to Become a Police Officer in Lubbock. Amarillo hiring from Benefits/Salaries and Workday JR2397 is How to Become a Police Officer in Amarillo. Brownsville hiring from the June 13, 2025 civil service notice, Employment & Benefits, and the stay-tuned exam page is How to Become a Police Officer in Brownsville. McAllen hiring from the August 21, 2026 civil service notice, Staff Services, and the October 13, 2026 exam packet is How to Become a Police Officer in McAllen. Waco hiring from the FY 2025-2026 Civil Service Police Salary Schedule, NEOGOV 5344313, Employment, Training, and Employment Fitness Test is How to Become a Police Officer in Waco.

What HPD actually is

Recruiting lives on hpdcareer.com. The city department page is houstontx.gov/police. Use hpdcareer.com for hiring. The home page, retrieved 2026-08-21: "more than 5,400 officers and 892 civilian professionals" serving over two million residents. That is not a roster count, so this site does not publish a sworn headcount for Houston.

Home also prints a 6 month paid police academy. Academy prints 30 to 31 weeks. Those are both live. They are not the same clock.

Recruiting Division: 1200 Travis, Suite 1300, Houston, TX 77002. Contact: (713) 308-1300 or (800) 252-0473, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. That page's mailtos are hpdrecruitingapplication@houstonpolice.org (Contact us by Email) and hpd.recruiting@houstonpolice.org (Contact a recruiter). The site-wide Email a Recruiter link, including on the home page, is hpd.recruiting@houstontx.gov. Virtual Q and A books on Outlook.

The live apply door

NEOGOV 5328764 Police Trainee (Police Classified), retrieved 2026-08-21. Salary $25.00 Hourly. Job number 38766. Opening date 05/11/2026. Closing Continuous. Division Training Academy / Patrol. Reporting location 17000 Aldine Westfield. Workdays and hours Various, subject to change.

Application Process: currently accepting applications for upcoming academy classes, held approximately every two to three months. The full application process generally takes 90 to 180 days. FAQ: classes of 75-85 cadets, starting approximately every three months; process 90-180 business days or sometimes more; at least five classes of 75-85 cadets per year for the next several years. Those clocks are both live. Do not collapse two-to-three months with every three months. Do not collapse 90-180 days with 90-180 business days.

FAQ: there is no application deadline. Applicants are processed in the order of initial interview dates. FAQ: there is no wait list. HPD places you in the next available academy class. Upon applying, expect a call from an unknown or blocked number.

Do not submit the NEOGOV application on Step 3 until the required documents and forms are complete.

Minimum requirements

Requirements is the recruiting floor. NEOGOV reprints the same four pathways.

Baseline, all applicants. High school diploma or GED. At least 20½ years old at time of application, and 21 prior to academy graduation. U.S. citizen (born or naturalized) OR an Honorably Discharged Legal Permanent Resident as authorized by Texas Senate Bill 252 (effective September 1, 2023). Valid driver’s license and proof of liability insurance. Stable employment history. Pass all phases of the application process. Meet TCOLE minimum standards for enrollment and initial licensure.

The 2005 hiring-process PDF still says 21-44 and must not have reached the 45th birthday prior to oath. That 2005 PDF is not the live cap.

TCOLE's license floor, 37 TAC 217.1, is a second measuring point and is not HPD's hiring floor. TCOLE age is 21, or 18 with an associate's degree, 60 semester hours from an accredited college or university, or an honorable discharge after at least two years of active military service (217.1(b)(1)(A)). HPD's 20½-to-apply / 21-at-graduation rule is the one that governs this hiring process. TCOLE does not require a driver's license; the rule is not prohibited by state or federal law from operating a motor vehicle (217.1(b)(8)). A valid driver's license is HPD's hiring requirement. TCOLE also licenses a legal permanent resident who is an honorably discharged veteran with at least two years of service who has applied for citizenship (217.1(b)(17)); HPD names SB252 for that path. Read TCOLE peace officer license requirements.

You must meet ONE of four qualification pathways. Meeting one pathway does not guarantee eligibility. All applicants still have to meet TCOLE.

1. College Education. At least 48 semester credit hours. Minimum 2.0 GPA. From an accredited college or university as listed on the CHEA website.
2. Military Service. Minimum of 18 months active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces. Honorable Discharge required.
3. Prior Law Enforcement. At least three years full-time employment as a peace officer. Licensed by TCOLE (out-of-state accreditation on the Lateral page).
4. Work Experience. At least 36 months full-time employment (32+ hours per week), within the last 48 months, in any field.

FAQ still answers "Do the 48 hours of college credit need to be in criminal justice?" as if 48 hours were the gate. Requirements: 48 hours is one of four doors. Those two lines sit together. Do not tell a work-experience candidate they must also have 48 hours.

U.S. Military still carries this line: if you have served at least 18 months active duty with an Honorable Discharge, "your 48 hour college requirement will be waived." That is the old framing. The live Requirements page treats 18 months as its own pathway. Print the split.

Foreign high school diplomas: NACES or AICE evaluation. Foreign college credit: HPD does not accept hours earned directly from institutions outside the United States toward the 48-hour pathway. Transfer those credits to an accredited U.S. college and put them on a U.S. transcript. Credential evaluation reports alone will not meet the 48-hour pathway.

Vision on Requirements: correctable to 20/20 or better with uncorrected 20/200 or better. Monocular vision is an automatic disqualifier. Color vision: two or more crossings in the same direction is an automatic disqualifier. X-Chrom lenses and red filters are not permitted.

Common disqualifiers on the same page include no Class A or felony conviction or court-ordered supervision or probation, and no Class B conviction or court-ordered supervision or probation within the past 10 years. That is HPD's gate. TCOLE's own rule is a lifetime bar for any offense above Class B, including a Class A; only Class B carries the ten-year lookback; those bars cover court-ordered community supervision as well as conviction (217.1(b)(4), (b)(6)). Family violence bars on community supervision as well as conviction (217.1(b)(7)). FAQ: drug usage is not an automatic disqualifier. Not being honest about drug usage is.

Step-by-step hiring process

Application Process prints six phases. Required Documents Checklist dated 02-13-2025: bring originals and photocopies to the interview. Do not have documents mailed to HPD. Missing documents reschedules you.

Phase One. Prepare application packet and schedule initial interview. Four steps: determine your qualification path and gather documents; complete the Personal History Statement and other forms; submit the City of Houston NeoGov Application; schedule the initial interview. If you qualify under more than one pathway, obtain documentation for each. If they offer digital versions, send official transcripts to HPDRecruitingDocuments@houstontx.gov, which is the address Application Process prints for digital records and military files. If you are unsure, schedule a virtual Q and A with a recruiter before the interview.

Phase Two. Physical agility, reading comprehension, and fingerprinting. At the Houston Police Department Training Academy. Typically lasts approximately 4-5 hours.

Physical Agility Test (PAT), as Application Process and Requirements Phase 2 print it:

• 300-Meter Run: less than 1:20 minutes
• Push-Ups: Males 12, Females 8
• 1.5 Mile Run: less than 18:00 minutes
• Weapon Compatibility: six trigger pulls with each hand

Nelson-Denny Reading Comprehension Test (NDRC): minimum passing score 67. Free prep on Test Prep Review. HPD also hosts a study guide.

Physical Agility Test/Fitness prints a different battery: 500 meter row at the 50th percentile (2:27 or less females / 2:08 or less for males), 1 mile run (11:40 minutes), and Weapons Compatibility (6 trigger pulls with each hand). That page also still carries news about an April academy class. Treat it as a conflicting older list. Do not train only the 500-meter row and call it HPD Phase Two. The process page is the live Phase Two list.

FAQ: fail PAT, you get a second attempt. Fail the second attempt, you are removed and ineligible to reapply for three months. Run with Your Recruiter events are the practice door. A PAT training flyer lists optional sessions at 1200 Travis, 13th floor: Monday/Wednesday 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., Saturday 8:00 a.m., Officer Frances Dominguez (713) 308-1345.

After Phase Two, complete fingerprinting as soon as possible. The department is notified automatically.

Phase Three. Polygraph examination and post-polygraph interview. Queue after Phase Two. Scheduling may take up to 4-8 weeks. Same day, typically 3-4 hours. Do not research how to beat a polygraph.

Phase Four. Background investigation. About 10-20 business days. Notify the investigator of any significant changes.

Phase Five. Psychological and medical examination. After background clears. Medical approximately 5-7 hours. Psychological approximately 4-5 hours. These are independent of Recruiting.

Phase Six. Final review and Chief of Police approval. Begins only after background and Phase Five are done.

A 2005 Hiring Process PDF (Rev. 08/04/05) still lists a Civil Service entrance examination as step 1, 60 semester hours or military honorable discharge, age 21-44, and a Work Sample physical agility test. That 2005 list is not the live process. FAQ: the civil service test is in the academy. City HR Classified Testing / HPD on 2026-08-21 lists promotional exams (Sergeant, Commander, Lieutenant 2022), not an entrance exam notice.

Physical agility

Not Dallas's seven-event PAT. Not DPS's combined 55 percent on a 1.5-mile run and a 4-minute row. Not McKinney 60, not Mesquite/Frisco 50, not Irving 54.7, not Grand Prairie 55 on 2000m only. Not Denton (no obstacle-course PAT).

HPD Phase Two is the 300-meter, push-ups, 1.5-mile, and six trigger pulls, plus Nelson-Denny 67. The fitness page's 500-meter row / 1-mile / trigger-pull list is a conflicting older battery. Train the process-page events.

Academy and field training

Three clocks. They are not the same length.

Academy: a rigorous 30 to 31 week program. Cadets do not reside at the academy. Commute Monday through Friday. Cadets are not permitted to maintain outside employment or attend other educational programs while enrolled. Location: 17000 Aldine Westfield Road, Houston, TX 77073.

Home page: 6 month paid police academy.

FAQ: cadets are paid bi-weekly while in the academy. You may not attend college or hold other employment as a cadet or as a probationary police officer.

Upon graduation: Field Training Officer program approximately 11 to 18 weeks. Probationary Police Officers remain on probation until they complete one full calendar year from their hire date. First duty assignment is patrol.

In the academy, before you are sworn, you are paid the Cadet cell: $52,000 on Benefits and NEOGOV, $25.00 an hour on the bulletin, $2,000 bi-weekly on the FAQ. After graduation you move to GRADE II Police Officer, Probationary on Exhibit A, 2,376.00 biweekly effective the first full pay period on or after July 1, 2026, plus the Article 33 section 1(C) $200 PPO shift variance per pay period. Daily academy life is in Texas Police Academy: What to Expect.

Pay and benefits

Cadet, in the academy, pre-sworn. Benefits and NEOGOV 5328764: Cadet/Probationary Officer $52,000. NEOGOV salary field $25.00 Hourly is that cell on a 2,080-hour year. FAQ: $2,000 bi-weekly, plus a one-time lump sum of $1,000 for firearm/equipment purchase. $2,000 times 26 pay periods is $52,000.

Probationary Police Officer, after graduation. Exhibit A page 2, Fiscal Year 2027, GRADE II Police Officer, Probationary: Base Pay (Biweekly) 2,376.00, effective the first full pay period beginning on or after July 1, 2026. That is $61,776 a year at 26 pay periods. Exhibit A page 1, Fiscal Year 2026, lists the same classification at 2,200.00 biweekly ($57,200). Article 33 section 1(C): the department pays probationary police officers the Exhibit A base, a $200 PPO shift variance per pay period, TCOLE In-Service Pay Level One, and any applicable education pay upon sworn date.

First-year (Grade III) Police Officer. Exhibit A page 2 is the governing schedule. GRADE III Police Officer, 1 Year: 3,115.39 biweekly, effective the first full pay period on or after July 1, 2026. That is $81,000.14 at 26 pay periods. Benefits' "First Year Officer $81,000" is that cell rounded. NEOGOV 5328764 still lists First Year Police Officer $78,452. Those are both live. They are not the same cell. This page uses the Exhibit A 3,115.39 line as the adopted first-year base.

Raise schedule, Article 33 section 1(B) of the 2025 Meet and Confer Executed Agreement, document page 61. Effective the first full pay period after each July 1, police officer and higher receive: 10 percent on July 1, 2025; 8 percent on July 1, 2026; 6 percent on July 1, 2027; 6 percent on July 1, 2028; 6.5 percent on July 1, 2029. The 10 percent step excludes 1st-year and 2nd-year (Grade III) police officers, whose FY2026 base was set separately at $75,000.00 and $76,500.00 under section 1(A). Exhibit A page 1 prints those as 2,884.62 and 2,942.31 biweekly.

Benefits cites the Meet and Confer Agreement. HPOU's current agreement is the 2025 Meet and Confer Executed PDF, through June 30, 2030, Chapter 143 Subchapter J.

Police Officer (2+ years), two ranges, different composition. Benefits $82,620-$98,028. That low cell is Exhibit A page 2 GRADE III 2 Year 3,177.69 biweekly times 26 ($82,619.94). That high cell is GRADE III 10-11 Year 3,770.31 biweekly times 26 ($98,028.06). NEOGOV $80,004-$121,184 is a different mix. The $80,004 floor is the FAQ two-year lateral cell $3,077.08 bi-weekly times 26. FAQ says those lateral cells include Base Pay, Longevity, TCOLE Pay, and Equipment pay and cap at five years. Do not treat the NEOGOV 2+ range as Exhibit A base.

Academy stipend. Benefits: a $1,000 one time stipend to purchase a duty weapon and accessories while at the academy. FAQ prints the same $1,000 lump sum with the cadet bi-weekly line.

Keep Houston Fire trainee dollars off this slug.

Experienced officers and laterals

Laterals: minimum of three years of full-time employment as a Peace Officer, and an active TCOLE license. Peace officers licensed outside of Texas may either transfer their certification through TCOLE or complete a full academy class to obtain Texas licensure.

Fewer than three years: you are not a lateral. Qualify through 48 credit hours, or 36 months full-time work in the last 48 months, or 18 months active-duty military with Honorable Discharge, then attend the academy as a Senior Police Trainee. Laterals page: they will NOT be classified as lateral transfers. FAQs, retrieved 2026-08-21, under "Do I get a pay adjustment for my years of service?": adjustments to a lateral officer's pay (includes Base Pay, Longevity, TCOLE Pay, and Equipment pay) are made for the first five years of service and cap at five years, no matter how many years you have. The four bi-weekly cells:

• One year of prior service: $3,016.35
• Two years of prior service: $3,077.08
• Three to Four years of prior service: $3,128.80
• Five years of prior service: $3,232.24

FAQ: reclassification with that pay adjustment happens upon graduation from the academy. The two-year cell, $3,077.08 times 26, is $80,004.08, which is NEOGOV's Police Officer (2+ yrs) floor. That is why the NEOGOV range is not Exhibit A base.

Lateral applicants are no longer scheduled into separate academy classes. After final approval by the Chief of Police, the Training Academy creates an individualized training schedule shorter than the full academy. Estimated total processing time: three to four months.

Reinstatement: former HPD officers who voluntarily resigned in good standing may be eligible. Not guaranteed. Valid and active TCOLE license. HPD TCOLE Certification Office (832-394-2300). If fully reinstated, officers must serve at least one (1) year in a uniformed division under the Calls for Service loop.

Out-of-town: same standards. Fast Track Appointment if you reside more than 200 miles from downtown Houston. Typically two trips. Trip One: initial interview, PAT, reading comprehension, fingerprinting, polygraph, post-polygraph.

How to prepare this month

1. Open Requirements and pick one of the four pathways. Do not assume 48 college hours is the only door. Do not apply the 2005 60-hour / age-45 PDF.
2. Train the Phase Two PAT on the process page: 300-meter under 1:20, push-ups 12/8, 1.5-mile under 18:00, six trigger pulls each hand, Nelson-Denny 67. Visit Run with Your Recruiter. Do not train only the 500-meter row.
3. Gather the 02-13-2025 document list before you hit submit on NEOGOV 5328764. Missing papers reschedule the interview.
4. If you already hold TCOLE and have three years, read Laterals. If you live more than 200 miles out, read Out-of-town.

What to do this week

Open Application Process. Call Recruiting at 713-308-1300 or 800-252-0473, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Email the site-wide recruiter address hpd.recruiting@houstontx.gov, or the contact-page addresses hpd.recruiting@houstonpolice.org and hpdrecruitingapplication@houstonpolice.org. Ask which pathway they will score you on, and whether the next class is still "every two to three months" or the FAQ's every three months. Then start the Personal History Statement. Do not submit NEOGOV until the packet is complete.

Sources

• HPD Recruiting (more than 5,400 officers and 892 civilians; 6 month academy line; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• Benefits (Cadet/Probationary $52,000; First Year $81,000; 2+ years $82,620-$98,028; $1,000 academy weapon stipend; cites Meet and Confer; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• NEOGOV 5328764 Police Trainee ($25.00 Hourly; Opening 05/11/2026; Closing Continuous; job 38766; Cadet $52,000; First Year $78,452; 2+ years $80,004-$121,184; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• Requirements (20½ / 21; four pathways; SB252; Phase 2 PAT; vision; disqualifiers; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• Application Process (six phases; classes every two to three months; 90-180 days; Phase 2 PAT and Nelson-Denny 67; HPDRecruitingDocuments@houstontx.gov for digital records; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• Academy (30 to 31 weeks; commute; no outside work; FTO 11-18 weeks; probation one calendar year from hire; 17000 Aldine Westfield; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• Laterals (3 years plus active TCOLE; Senior Police Trainee if under 3 years; 3-4 months; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• FAQs (open continuous; 75-85 cadets every three months; CS test in academy; 90-180 business days; PAT second-fail three months; cadet $2,000 bi-weekly; lateral bi-weekly cells $3,016.35 / $3,077.08 / $3,128.80 / $3,232.24 including Base/Longevity/TCOLE/Equipment, cap five years, reclass at graduation; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• Physical Agility Test/Fitness (500m row / 1-mile / trigger-pull list)
• U.S. Military, Reinstatement, Out-of-town
• Contact (1200 Travis Suite 1300; 713-308-1300 / 800-252-0473; Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; hpd.recruiting@houstonpolice.org and hpdrecruitingapplication@houstonpolice.org; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• Site-wide Email a Recruiter mailto hpd.recruiting@houstontx.gov (home and recruiting pages; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• Required Documents Checklist 02-13-2025
• PAT training flyer
• Hiring Process PDF Rev. 08/04/05 (60 hours / age 21-44 / CS entrance exam)
• HPOU Meet and Confer and 2025 executed PDF through June 30, 2030 (Article 33 document p.61 raise schedule and PPO $200; Exhibit A page 1 FY2026 GRADE II 2,200.00 / GRADE III 1 Year 2,884.62; Exhibit A page 2 FY2027 effective July 1, 2026 GRADE II 2,376.00 / GRADE III 1 Year 3,115.39; OCR of executed pages 2026-08-22)
• Adopted 37 TAC §217.1, effective June 1, 2026 (TCOLE license floor; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• City of Houston Classified Testing, HPD (promotional lists, no entrance exam notice this retrieval; retrieved 2026-08-21)