How to Become a Police Officer in McAllen, Texas

Staff Services still heads its table Salary and Special Pay (2025). PPO I (Probationary Police Officer) $22.03/hr. PO II (Experienced Officer - 3 yrs) $24.38/hr. PO III (After 1 year of service) $32.35/hr. Sergeant $40.13/hr. Lieutenant $46.13/hr. That 2025 webpage still sits next to the August 21, 2026 packet. $22.03 and $22.0336 are not averaged. PO II "Experienced Officer - 3 yrs" is not the same row as Probationary II (7-11 months).

The October 31, 2025 packet for the December 17, 2025 exam printed Police Probationary I $22.0336/hr and Police Probationary II $24.3874/hr. The 2026 packet moved Probationary II to $24.3847. Both figures stay on the page. They are not averaged.

McAllen Fire, McAllen ISD PD, and Citizen Police Academy hire on separate schedules. This page covers McAllen PD.

The license is TCOLE's. The job is McAllen 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 the department recruiting tree, the August 21, 2026 notice, and Staff Services.

Department listing: McAllen Police Department. Pay comparison: Texas police salary by department. That salary page still keeps McAllen out of the N=12 table because that collection is DFW municipal departments plus Texas DPS, and because $22.0336 is an hourly exam-packet cell, not an adopted annual ordinance opened for that collection. 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. Houston hiring from hpdcareer.com and NEOGOV 5328764 is How to Become a Police Officer in Houston. 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. 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 McAllen PD actually is

Headquarters: 1601 N. Bicentennial Blvd., McAllen, TX 78501. Non-emergency (956) 681-2000. FAQ: Crime Records 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. North West Training Academy: 2800 W. Oxford, McAllen, TX 78504, (956) 681-2130, fax (956) 681-2135, training@mcallenpd.net. Civil Service Director Christina Flores, 1300 W. Houston Avenue, McAllen, TX 78501, (956) 681-1045, civilservice@mcallen.net.

Staff Services says the city is approximately 138,659 people. Directory sworn stays 0. Directory stations stays 0. Directory established stays 0. A chief name is not printed as a roster line on Home, FAQ, or Staff Services this retrieval.

FAQ "How do I become a police officer?" points to the Training Unit at (956) 681-2130. That is the training desk. The civil service apply desk is Christina Flores at (956) 681-1045. Those are two desks. The FAQ is not a second exam date.

The live apply door

The live cadet door is the August 21, 2026 notice. Deadline Friday, September 18, 2026, 5:00 p.m. No exceptions printed. Download the packet from Civil Service. Study material named on the cover sheet: NCJOSI^2 at the applicant's cost.

The McAllen PD listing on this site says "No open posting recorded" and no dollar. The August 21, 2026 notice is the apply door.

Three older eligibility lists still sit on the city's document center. They are prior lists, not the apply door:

• Police entry list from exam September 3, 2025, expires September 3, 2026.
• Police entry list from exam December 17, 2025, certified January 15, 2026, expires December 17, 2026.
• Police entry list from exam May 12, 2026, certified June 18, 2026, expires May 12, 2027. Raw scores for that exam are posted separately.

The open card is the October 13, 2026 exam.

Career Opportunities carries two notes. Police Department positions require two job applications, including the Personal History Statement. Entry Level Police Officer and Firefighter Examination applicants are sent to the Civil Service Commission page. Cadets use the 2026 packet. The two-application note is not the civil service deadline.

governmentjobs.com/careers/mcallen did not yield an extractable police officer requisition this retrieval. TCOLE Statewide Vacancies did not reprint McAllen PD this retrieval.

Minimum requirements

The August 21, 2026 packet:

(1) Citizen of the United States.

(2) Must be at least 21 years of age by completion of Police Academy.

(3) High school graduate or GED indicating high school graduation level.

(4) Valid driver license and satisfactory driving record. A valid Texas driver license and satisfactory driving record is required prior to employment as an Entry-Level Police Officer, and the applicant must not be prohibited by state or federal law from operating a motor vehicle.

(5) Application and required documents submitted to HR / Civil Service by the deadline.

(6) Must be able to intelligently read and write the English language.

(7) Must possess 20/20 vision in each eye. Uncorrected vision cannot exceed 20/400 in each eye. Must be free of color blindness, night blindness, and any other visual deficiencies or limitations.

(8) Must possess hearing with less than a 30-decibel loss. Uncorrected hearing cannot exceed a 60-decibel loss in each ear.

(9) Background investigation, pre-employment polygraph, and investigation of local, state, and federal records.

(10) Not currently under indictment for any criminal offense.

(11) Have not been convicted (or placed on community supervision/probation) of an offense above the grade of a Class B misdemeanor, or a Class B misdemeanor within the last ten years, or for any Class C misdemeanor involving the duties and responsibilities of a police officer.

(12) Never have been convicted of any family violence offense.

(13) Not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition.

(14) Must not have had a license, issued by TCOLE, previously revoked.

An applicant may not be certified as eligible unless the applicant meets all legal requirements necessary to become eligible for future licensing by TCOLE. That is not a TCOLE Basic Peace Officer license at apply.

Staff Services prints the same age line: at least 21 years of age, at completion of the McAllen Police Department Basic Peace Officer's Academy. It also prints "Honorable discharge from military service or selective service registration." The exam notice treats military service as extra points under Chapter 143 when it applies. Those two lines sit together. Military papers are extra points when they apply. Not every applicant has to be a veteran.

The exam-notice and Staff Services age is 21 by academy completion. 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)). McAllen's academy-completion door is 21. Those are not the same measuring point. Read TCOLE peace officer license requirements.

Citizen of the United States on the packet is McAllen PD's hiring rule. TCOLE also licenses a legal permanent resident who is an honorably discharged veteran with two years of service and has applied for citizenship (37 TAC 217.1(b)(17)).

A valid Texas driver license prior to employment is McAllen PD's hiring rule, not a TCOLE minimum. TCOLE's floor is that you are not prohibited from operating a motor vehicle (37 TAC 217.1(b)(8)). The packet already prints that TCOLE floor next to the Texas-license hiring line.

Packet item (11) bars conviction or community supervision above Class B, and Class B within the last ten years. TCOLE makes a Class A conviction a lifetime bar and puts the ten-year lookback on Class B only (37 TAC 217.1(b)(4), (b)(6)). Family violence bars on community supervision as well as conviction (217.1(b)(7)). Packet item (12) names family-violence conviction. The TCOLE family-violence community-supervision bar is the license gate even if the packet names conviction only.

Recruits reach the Texas Basic Peace Officer exam after the academy, not at apply.

The test, a Physical Fitness Assessment

Written exam first. Next dated written exam: Tuesday, October 13, 2026, 9:00 a.m., McAllen Convention Center Ballroom. Registration 7:30 a.m. A passing percent is not printed on the notice, Staff Services, FAQ, or the May 12, 2026 eligibility list. That list says an applicant must pass the examination. That gap is not filled from another city, and it is not inferred from the lowest name on a prior eligibility list.

Staff Services names a Pre-employment Physical Fitness Assessment. No events, distance, or time cap are printed on Staff Services, the 2026 packet, FAQ, or PD Training. Not CPAT. Not a 2000-meter row copied from another city.

Process on Staff Services: 1. Civil Service police entry-level examination. 2. Pre-employment Physical Fitness Assessment. 3. Applicant interview(s). 4. Background Investigation. 5. All medical/psychological certifications as required.

Academy length

The packet and Staff Services name the McAllen Police Department Basic Peace Officer's Academy. A recruit academy week count is not printed on Staff Services, the 2026 packet, FAQ, Home, or PD Training.

PD Training is the 2026 Continuing Education & Proficiency Certification Calendar. Email training@mcallenpd.net or call (956) 681-2130 for course availability. That page is not a recruit calendar. Citizen Police Academy is a civilian program. It is not this slug.

See What to expect at a Texas police academy.

Laterals

No lateral-entry page, lateral pay range, or live lateral requisition was on mcallen.net/departments/pd this retrieval. Existing TCOLE certification is not a separate door on Staff Services. Police Officer III $33.3244 is not a lateral pay band.

Pay and benefits

Dated entry cell, August 21, 2026 notice: Police Probationary I (0-6 MO) $22.0336 per hour. Police Probationary II (7-11 MO) $24.3847 per hour. Police Officer III at 1 year is $33.3244 per hour. $33.3244 is year-1 Officer III, not the cadet start.

Staff Services 2025 table: PPO I $22.03/hr, PO II $24.38/hr labeled Experienced Officer - 3 yrs, PO III $32.35/hr after 1 year.

October 31, 2025 packet: Probationary II $24.3874/hr and Officer III year-1 $32.3538/hr.

Certification pay on the 2026 packet, monthly: Intermediate $50, Advanced $100, Master $200. Staff Services prints the same dollars as annual rates $600 / $1,200 / $2,400. Both the monthly and annual dollars are on the page. Those monthly and annual dollars match; they are not a third number.

Education pay on the 2026 packet, monthly: Associate $75, Bachelor's $150, Master's $200, Doctorate $250. Staff Services prints the same dollars as annual rates $900 / $1,800 / $2,400 / $3,000.

Assignment pay: Level One $1,375, Level Two $2,375, Level Three $5,000 annually. Uniform allowance $38.46 per pay period. Shift differential $1.00 per hour. Vacation 15 / 18 / 20 days by years of service. Sick leave under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 143. TMRS: 7 percent contribution, city matches 2-to-1. Vest at 10 years. Eligible to retire the account at 20 years of service at any age or 10 years of service at age 60. Tuition reimbursement for accredited programs relevant to city government or the employee's position.

That TMRS line is the city plan. It is not a McAllen Fire pension.

Sources, used 2026-08-21 and 2026-08-22

• 2026 Police Application (notice dated August 21, 2026; exam October 13, 2026; deadline September 18, 2026, 5:00 p.m.; Probationary I $22.0336/hr; age 21 at academy completion; future TCOLE; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• Civil Service Commission (2026 Police Application, May 12, 2026 raw scores, May 12, 2026 eligibility list)
• Staff Services (2025 salary table PPO I $22.03/hr; Physical Fitness Assessment; age 21 at academy completion)
• 2025 Police Application (October 31, 2025 notice for December 17, 2025)
• May 12, 2026 eligibility list (certified June 18, 2026; expires May 12, 2027)
• May 12, 2026 raw scores
• December 17, 2025 eligibility list (expires December 17, 2026)
• September 3, 2025 eligibility list (expires September 3, 2026)
• PD Training (2026 continuing-education calendar, not a recruit week count)
• FAQ (HQ 1601 N. Bicentennial; Training Unit 956-681-2130)
• Career Opportunities (two-application note plus civil-service pointer)
• TCOLE Statewide Vacancies (no McAllen PD card this retrieval)
• Adopted 37 TAC §217.1, effective June 1, 2026 (TCOLE license floor; retrieved 2026-08-21)
• McAllen Police Department listing on this site