How to Become a Police Officer in Little Elm, Texas

Join our Team still lists "Police Officer salary range of $76,894-$97,386.50 per year based on a 12-hour shift/80-hour schedule (two weeks)" under a "Little Elm Police Department 2025 Recruitment Qualifications" heading. That range is the FY 2024-25 Police Officer Step 1 $76,894.82 through Step 7 $97,386.50 on DocumentCenter 20504. Grade 407 Police Cadet on the FY 2025-26 plan is $62,390.85. The Little Elm PD department listing showed no officer dollar this retrieval and still says "No open posting recorded." The Little Elm Fire Department listing still carries 57 sworn / 3 stations. The FY '25 Fire Pay Plan lists Firefighter/EMT Step 1 $69,118 through Step 7 $77,090, Firefighter/Paramedic Step 1 $76,838. A fire pay table on file lists certified start 69118. Those fire figures are not Little Elm PD pay. Join our Team $76,894 is the prior-year officer range, not FY 2025-26 Step 1. Cadet $62,390.85 is the cadet cell, not the officer start.

Little Elm Fire Department hires on a separate schedule. This page covers Little Elm PD, not Little Elm Fire.

The license is TCOLE's. The job is Little Elm 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 Step Plan, Join our Team, ApplicantStack openings, PT Police Officer (Bailiff/Warrants) ID 2226, Background Standards dated 6-26-2026, Out of State Lateral Eligibility Packet, Police hub, the FY 2024-25 police step plan, the fire pay plan, TCOLE Statewide Vacancies, and the department listing.

Department listing: Little Elm Police Department. Pay comparison: Texas police salary by department. That salary page still keeps N=12. Little Elm's printed Step 1 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, Carrollton, Lewisville, Richardson, Allen, Flower Mound, Rockwall, Lancaster, Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, Rowlett, Wylie, Baytown.

What Little Elm PD actually is

The live department hub is littleelm.gov/134/Police. Police building 88 W. Eldorado Parkway, Little Elm, TX 75068. Main/non-emergency 214-975-0460. police@littleelm.gov. Town Hall is 100 W. Eldorado Parkway. Administration names Rodney Harrison, Chief of Police since 2015, Master Peace Officer license issued by TCOLE. Recruitment questions: Officer Sean Flynn, 214-618-1097, sflynn@littleelm.gov. Sworn count, founding year, and station count are unpublished on the officer sources. The fire listing's 57 sworn / 3 stations are fire figures, not a Little Elm PD officer count.

The live apply door

Full-time Police Officer is not on the live Town of Little Elm ApplicantStack board this retrieval (10 jobs). The only police bulletin on that board is PT Police Officer (Bailiff/Warrants) ID 2226, $37.89 / hour, hours vary, maximum 29 hours per week, ineligible for benefits. That $37.89 hourly reprints FY 2025-26 Police Officer Step 1 hourly $37.8929. Requires an active TCOLE Police Officer license and Basic Peace Officer Certification before appointment. The full-time officer door is not open. Retrieval is 2026-08-22.

Join our Team is the department recruiting page. 2025 Recruitment Qualifications still require a valid TCOLE Police Officer License (Officer only). Apply from ApplicantStack. Join our Team still lists the FY 2024-25 salary range. The cadet cell lives on the FY 2025-26 plan and is not a live bulletin.

TCOLE Statewide Vacancies printed no Little Elm string this retrieval.

The department listing on this site printed "No open posting recorded" and showed no officer starting pay.

Minimum requirements

Join our Team 2025 Recruitment Qualifications (Officer only):

• Must have a valid Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) Police Officer License (Officer only)
• Must be a United States Citizen
• Must have a High School Diploma or GED equivalency certificate
• Must be 21 years of age (Officer only)
• No Class B Misdemeanor convictions within the last 10 years

Background Standards filename Background Standards 6-26-2026:

• Applicant cannot meet the licensing/certification requirements for the position (temporary until met)
• Applicant is not a U.S. citizen or able to fulfill and satisfy requirements under Texas Occupations Code § 1701.3095 (temporary until met)
• Cannot intelligently read, write, or communicate effectively in English
• Cannot qualify for L2 (Medical Declaration) and/or L3 (Psychological Declaration) (1 year rejection)
• Felony or Class A misdemeanor conviction or guilty plea: permanent rejection
• Class B misdemeanor conviction or guilty plea within 10 years of final disposition: temporary until the timeline is met
• Community supervision for a Class B misdemeanor within the preceding 10 years: temporary until the timeline is met
• Cadet process: failure of the written exam or PAT is a 1-year rejection

PT ID 2226 adds: never convicted or placed on community supervision for family violence as defined under Chapter 71, Texas Family Code; never convicted of an offense above Class B, or a Class B within the last ten years; never on court-ordered community supervision for any offense above Class B, or a Class B within the last ten years from the date of the court order; valid Texas Class C driver's license; 21 years of age; HS/GED; 20/20 corrected and 20/200 uncorrected; no color blindness that could prove a risk.

City age is 21 (Officer only) on Join our Team and PT 2226. 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)). Both lines are published. The town does not publish a 21-44 age cap for Little Elm PD. Read TCOLE peace officer license requirements.

Education is a high school diploma or GED.

Citizenship is a split. Join our Team: United States Citizen. Background Standards: U.S. citizen, or able to fulfill Occupations Code § 1701.3095. 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. All three lines are published.

A valid Texas Class C driver's license is the PT 2226 line. Join our Team does not print a driver's-license floor on the 2025 qualifications list. TCOLE does not require a Texas license. TCOLE's floor is not prohibited from operating a motor vehicle, 37 TAC 217.1(b)(8).

Join our Team prints "No Class B Misdemeanor convictions within the last 10 years" with no Class A sentence. Background Standards: Class A conviction or guilty plea is a lifetime bar; Class B is a ten-year lookback; Class B community supervision is a ten-year lookback. PT 2226 prints conviction or community supervision above Class B, and Class B within ten years, plus family-violence community supervision. 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. TCOLE bars conviction or community supervision for family violence, 217.1(b)(7). Join our Team Class B-only is not TCOLE's Class A floor. The city page, the Background Standards, PT 2226, and the TCOLE floor are all published; a candidate has to clear all of them.

The test, PAT as printed

Join our Team process: online application, pre-background invitation with Personal History Statement, schedule pre-background interview, complete PHS, pre-background interview, board interview, Chief interview, comprehensive background investigation, psychological test, doctor physical and drug screening, conditional offer, start date.

Named PAT protocol unpublished on Join our Team. Background Standards: an applicant in the cadet process who fails the written exam or PAT is a 1-year rejection. This guide does not print CPAT. This guide does not print a row, run, or dummy-drag standard for the full-time officer door. The fire PAT is a fire test, not the police row.

PT 2226 physical lines include foot pursuits, a 150 lb. drag for at least fifty feet, and firearms from standing, kneeling, and prone. That is the PT bailiff posting, not a named full-time officer PAT.

Academy length

The live Join our Team door is TCOLE licensed (Officer only). Cadet $62,390.85 lives on the FY 2025-26 plan and is not on the live ApplicantStack board. The town has not published a named recruit academy hour count. This guide does not print a 20, 28, 29, 32, or 40 week academy. Field Training: four phases of 14 shifts; four-month program for new officers; opportunity for an accelerated program for experienced officers.

See What to expect at a Texas police academy.

Laterals

Out of State Lateral Eligibility Packet is TCOLE Rule 219.2 reciprocity, not a Little Elm pay-step promise. Eligible out-of-state officers may take the Texas licensing exam after required courses. Less than 10 years of full-time service AND more than 10 years from last full-time appointment requires an in-person Basic Peace Officer academy in Texas. Join our Team: opportunity for an accelerated FTO program for experienced officers. Full-time lateral bulletin unpublished this retrieval. Live officer bulletin is PT Bailiff/Warrants only.

Pay and benefits

Printed Police Officer cells, FY 2025-26 Police Step Plan, dual-checked against PT 2226 hourly Step 1:

• Grade 407 Police Cadet $62,390.85 (cadet cell; not a live bulletin)
• Step 1 $78,817.19
• Step 2 $82,317.85
• Step 3 $85,818.51
• Step 4 $89,319.18
• Step 5 $92,819.84
• Step 6 $96,320.50
• Step 7 $99,821.16

The Police Officer Step 1 figure on this page is $78,817. Join our Team still lists $76,894-$97,386.50 from the FY 2024-25 plan. Cadet $62,390.85 is the cadet cell, not the officer start. Fire figures (Firefighter/EMT $69,118 / Firefighter/Paramedic $76,838 / EMT Step 7 $77,090) and the fire listing's 57/3 are fire, not Little Elm PD. The department listing showed no officer dollar.

Join our Team additional pay:

• Longevity Pay: $60 x years of employment, per year
• Certificate Pay: Intermediate $50/Month, Advanced $100/Month, Master $150/Month
• Degree Pay: Associates $50/Month, Bachelors $100/Month, Masters $150/Month
• Additional stipends: Field Training Officer, Specialty Units, Specialty Skills, Bilingual (amounts unpublished)

Benefits printed on Join our Team: Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. TMRS vested at 5 years; 2:1 match at 7%, and all additional provisions. 11 paid holidays. Three personal days. Sick leave. Paid Parental Leave. Paid Volunteer Leave. Tuition reimbursement. Wellness Program. Take-home vehicles for those within a 30-minute drive time. Patrol fleet Chevrolet Tahoes and Silverados. Department-issued Shadow Systems DR920 with RDS or a department-approved personally owned weapon. All worn duty equipment and three sets of duty uniforms. Personally fitted Angel Armor outer carrier. Department-issued patrol rifle. Schedule: 2-2-3 Panama, 14 twelve-hour shifts per month, day 0600-1800 / night 1800-0600, one day every two weeks reduced to 8 hours to meet an 80-hour schedule. No overtime cap. Secondary employment authorized after completion of field training. PT 2226 is ineligible for benefits.

Sources, used 2026-08-22

• FY 2025-26 POLICE STEP PLAN (TOWN OF LITTLE ELM, TX; Grade 400 Police Officer Step 1 $78,817.19 through Step 7 $99,821.16; hourly Step 1 $37.8929; Cadet $62,390.85; effective date unpublished on the face; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• FY 2024-25 POLICE STEP PLAN (Police Officer Step 1 $76,894.82 through Step 7 $97,386.50; Cadet $60,869.12; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• FY '25 Fire Pay Plan (Firefighter/EMT $69,118-$77,090; Firefighter/Paramedic $76,838-$92,748; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Join our Team (2025 Recruitment Qualifications; salary range $76,894-$97,386.50; TCOLE license Officer only; US citizen; 21 Officer only; HS/GED; FTO four phases of 14 shifts / four-month program; TMRS 2:1 at 7%; cert and degree monthly pay; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• ApplicantStack openings (10 jobs; full-time Police Officer not listed; PT Police Officer (Bailiff/Warrants) live; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• PT Police Officer (Bailiff/Warrants) ID 2226 ($37.89 / hour; max 29 hours; ineligible for benefits; TCOLE license; 21; Texas Class C; family-violence community supervision; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Background Standards 6-26-2026 (Class A lifetime; Class B 10-year; Occupations Code § 1701.3095; cadet written/PAT 1-year rejection; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Out of State Lateral Eligibility Packet (TCOLE Rule 219.2; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Police hub (88 W. Eldorado Parkway; 214-975-0460; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Administration (Chief Rodney Harrison; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Divisions (Patrol 12-hour shifts; Marine Patrol; SROs; Traffic; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• TCOLE Statewide Vacancies (no Little Elm string; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Adopted 37 TAC §217.1, effective June 1, 2026 (TCOLE license floor; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• little-elm-pd (no officer dollar); little-elm-fire-department (57/3)