How to Become a Police Officer in Sugar Land, Texas

Sugar Land Fire, Detention Recruits, Detention Officer, and dispatcher hire on separate schedules. This page covers Sugar Land PD.

The license is TCOLE's. The job is Sugar Land 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 Join SLPD, Hiring Process, Salary & Benefits, Recruiting FAQ, Police hub, POLICE OFFICER-RECRUIT PDF 32686, FY26 image 41837, prior Feb-Mar NeoGov cards, later cycle 2400303 and 2400306, GovernmentJobs, TCOLE Statewide Vacancies, and the department listing.

Department listing: Sugar Land Police Department. Pay comparison: Texas police salary by department. That salary page still keeps Sugar Land out of the N=12 table because that collection is DFW municipal departments plus Texas DPS. 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 and the 2025-26 pay scale is How to Become a Police Officer in Lubbock. Amarillo hiring from Benefits/Salaries is How to Become a Police Officer in Amarillo. Brownsville hiring from the June 13, 2025 civil service notice is How to Become a Police Officer in Brownsville. McAllen hiring from the August 21, 2026 civil service notice is How to Become a Police Officer in McAllen. Waco hiring from the FY 2025-2026 Civil Service Police Salary Schedule and NEOGOV 5344313 is How to Become a Police Officer in Waco. Killeen hiring from the Police Pay Plan FY 26, Employment, Hiring Process PDF, Minimum Requirements, and Academy Training is How to Become a Police Officer in Killeen. Pasadena hiring from Benefits, Requirements, ApplicantPro, Contact Us, and Academy is How to Become a Police Officer in Pasadena. Texas City hiring from Salary and Benefits, Eligibility, Hiring Process, Recruitment, and CivicAlerts 684 is How to Become a Police Officer in Texas City. Pearland hiring from the April 2026 Police Officer Pay Plan, Career Opportunities, Eligibility, and Selection Process is How to Become a Police Officer in Pearland. League City hiring from LCPD Jobs and the 2026 Pay Scale is How to Become a Police Officer in League City.

What Sugar Land PD actually is

Recruiting lives under Join SLPD. The city police hub is Police Department. Address on Join SLPD and Hiring Process: 1200 Highway 6 S., Sugar Land, TX 77478. Recruiting line 281-275-2914. Email policerecruiting@sugarlandtx.gov. Human Resources 281-275-2792. Non-emergency 281-275-2020.

Recruiting FAQ (FAQ category TID=150): SLPD is not a civil service agency. Patrol officers typically work 10-hour shifts with 3 consecutive days off. Days off and shift assignment are based on seniority. NeoGov department copy calls the department a CALEA accredited department of 180 sworn officers. That 180 is a recruiting blurb, not a budget ordinance opened for this guide. Filled sworn count, station count, call volume, and founding year are unpublished on the officer sources (0).

FAQ: the department will send recruits to a local Police Academy. While in the academy, the salary for non-certified recruits starts at the Police Recruit level. POLICE OFFICER-RECRUIT (effective November 2023) is salary range P-1 until academy plus TCOLE Basic, then Police Officer P-2 for one year. BPOC week count is unpublished as a hiring-page figure. FTO week count is unpublished.

The live apply door

There is no live Police Officer or Recruit card on the city jobs board this retrieval. The board prints 0 jobs found.

Join SLPD still says the department currently has openings for Recruit, Lateral, and Certified Officer positions, and still lists Applications Open. Those links still point at the February 2026 NeoGov cards. The later Police Officer-Recruit card, job 2400303, opened May 29, 2026 and closed June 26, 2026 at 5:00 PM Central. Join SLPD openings are stale against that close. Hiring is not open on this retrieval. The next exam date after June 26, 2026 is unpublished.

Hiring Process is the officer process. Step 1 is still "complete and submit an application online," and that page still lists APPLY NOW.

The department listing on this site printed no dollar and no open posting. That empty listing matches today's empty officer board; it is not a live officer door.

Watch Join SLPD and the city jobs board for the next dated card. Email policerecruiting@sugarlandtx.gov. TCOLE Statewide Vacancies did not reprint Sugar Land PD in the static HTML this retrieval.

Detention Recruits is the jail door. It is not the patrol door.

Minimum requirements

NeoGov job 2400303 is the later hiring-card list:

• U.S. citizen.
• 21 years old, or older.
• Valid driver license with a good driving record.
• A Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate Degree, or an expected graduation within 180 days of application, from an accredited school or university with a GPA of 2.0 or higher (U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education), OR two years active United States Armed Forces military experience with an honorable discharge or an expected discharge within 180 days, OR completion (or expected completion within 180 days) of a military obligation of at least 6 years (US Military Reservists), OR a stable job history of 5 or more years at a single employer or while owning their own business, within the last 7 years from the date of application.
• Must successfully complete a Basic Peace Officer Certification Course at an approved TCOLE academy and pass the TCOLE Basic Peace Officer Certification Examination.

POLICE OFFICER-RECRUIT PDF 32686 still lists High School Diploma or GED, then a Bachelor's Degree at 2.0 or two years active military with an honorable discharge. It also prints: no felony convictions or misdemeanor charges within the past five years; valid Class C Texas driver license; non-smoker preferred. The PDF education line and the NeoGov card education line are both published; they are not the same list.

FAQ military sentence: 2 years active military, ETS date prior to being hired, and an honorable discharge. NeoGov allows an expected discharge within 180 days of application. Those two military lines are both published. They are not the same measuring point.

Hiring Process footer: Drug and Tobacco Free Workplace. PDF 32686: non-smoker preferred. Both tobacco lines are published.

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)). NeoGov and PDF 32686 measure 21 years old, or older. That city measuring point is not the same as TCOLE's 18-with-waiver floor. Read TCOLE peace officer license requirements. Recruits reach the Texas Basic Peace Officer exam after the academy, not at apply. Certified applicants already hold TCOLE or are certifiable within 180 days.

U.S. citizen is Sugar Land 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 valid driver license with a good driving record is Sugar Land PD's hiring rule, not a TCOLE minimum. PDF 32686 prints a valid Class C Texas driver license. TCOLE's floor is that you are not prohibited from operating a motor vehicle (37 TAC 217.1(b)(8)).

NeoGov and Join SLPD reprint no Class A / Class B table this retrieval. PDF 32686 prints no felony convictions or misdemeanor charges within the past five years. That five-year line is not TCOLE's Class A lifetime bar. 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)). That TCOLE floor is the license gate even if the city pages name no Class A line.

The test, PAT as printed

Hiring Process, General Order #01-12 R4, effective October 1, 2021:

• Non-certified: written test, physical readiness test, and an initial screening interview.
• Certified, lateral, and out of state laterals: physical readiness test and an initial screening interview. No written test on that door.

The physical readiness test is a 2,000-meter row on a Concept 2 rower. The minimum is the 50th percentile for age, weight, and gender on the Texas Department of Public Safety formula chart. A certified administrator runs the row. Hiring Process tells applicants to use the DPS calculator: gender, age range, and weight under Inputs; type 50 under Desired Results; Calculate; that time or faster. Not CPAT. Not Sugar Land Fire's five-event PRT. Written-test cutoff is unpublished on Hiring Process.

Then: preliminary interview and oral review board; personal history statement and background; polygraph; interview with the Chief of Police; conditional offer, then medical and psychological testing. Fail any portion and the candidate is removed. Successful candidates go into an eligibility pool. FAQ: the hiring process typically last 3-4 months (grammar as printed).

Academy length

Academy week count is unpublished as a hiring-page figure. FAQ: the department will send recruits to a local Police Academy. Recruits are paid at the Police Recruit level while they attend. PDF 32686: remain P-1 until academy plus TCOLE Basic, then P-2 for one year.

See What to expect at a Texas police academy.

Laterals

FAQ: SLPD does have a lateral entry program. Prior in-state card 2400269 / 5238266 (closed March 13, 2026): at least three years of service as a sworn peace officer in the State of Texas with one agency, most recent agency, Patrol or Investigations with powers of arrest. Communications, detention, courtrooms, and reserve or unpaid time do not count. Starting Pay $85,072 dependent on experience and qualifications plus a $10,000 sign-on bonus. That $85,072 is P-2 Step 3 on the FY26 image.

Later out-of-state card 2400306 / 5358440 (closed June 26, 2026): at least three years as a sworn peace officer or equivalent with one agency, most recent agency; challenge TCOLE and obtain licensure within 180 days of the application. Starting Pay $85,072 plus $10,000 sign-on.

Prior certified card 2400267 / 5238258 (closed March 13, 2026): TCOLE licensed or certifiable within 180 days. Starting Pay $78,250 ($37.62 per hour).

Join SLPD Applications Open is not a live lateral card. The live board is 0 jobs.

Out-of-state peace officers still have to satisfy TCOLE before they are certified in Texas. See the TCOLE out-of-state licensure packet.

TCOLE Statewide Vacancies did not reprint Sugar Land PD in the static HTML this retrieval.

Pay and benefits

Dated first recruit cell, FY26 image 41837 effective January 3, 2026: Police Officer-Recruit P-1 $30.92 an hour. NeoGov Starting Pay $64,314 ($30.92 per hour). P-2 Police Officer Step 1 $37.62 / $78,250. Step 2 $39.26 / $81,661. Step 3 $40.90 / $85,072. Step 10 $50.81 / $105,685. PD1 Detention Officer Step 1 $25.59 / $53,227 is jail pay, not this department.

Salary & Benefits: incentive pay paid bi-weekly. Educational degrees Associate's $600 / annually; Bachelor's $1,200 / annually; Master's $1,800 / annually. Certification levels Intermediate $600 / annually; Advanced $1,200 / annually; Master's $1,800 / annually. TMRS employee 7 percent, city matches 2:1, 5-year vesting; retire at age 60 and vested, or 20 years any age. Longevity $4 per month after one year, first 25 years, maximum $1,200 annually, paid each December. Tuition may be reimbursed up to a master's degree. 13 paid holidays annually. 80 hours paid vacation annually (up to 160 hours at 11 years). Paid sick leave accrual 3.69 hours per pay period. Paid parental leave up to 6 weeks. Fitness incentive program up to 80 hours paid leave annually. Officer-issued equipment listed on that page includes body armor, Glock 9mm, AR-15, 21-inch ASP baton, Taser, uniforms, leather gear excluding boots, portable radio with charger. That page still lists APPLY NOW.

Join SLPD reprints TMRS, 13 holidays including one floating holiday, public-safety vacation 80 / 120 / 160 hours, sick 3.69 hours per pay period, and the same longevity cell.

The fire listing's $70,000 is fire pay, not this department. Those fire figures are not the 2026 Recruit cell.

Sources, used 2026-08-22

• Join SLPD (currently has openings; Applications Open; recruiter; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• FY26 image 41837 (P-1 $30.92; P-2 Step 1 $78,250; Step 3 $85,072; Step 10 $105,685; PD1 $53,227; effective January 3, 2026; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Salary & Benefits (image 41837; incentive pay; TMRS; APPLY NOW; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Hiring Process (written plus 2,000-meter Concept 2 row at DPS 50th percentile; GO #01-12 R4; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Recruiting FAQ TID=150 (not civil service; local academy; Recruit pay while in academy; 10-hour shifts; 3-4 months; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• POLICE OFFICER-RECRUIT PDF 32686 (P-1 until academy plus TCOLE Basic; HS/GED plus Bachelor or 2 years military; 21; felony/misdemeanor five-year line; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• NeoGov 5238263 job 2400266 (closed 3/13/2026; Starting Pay $64,314; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• later NeoGov 5358419 job 2400303 (closed 6/26/2026; Starting Pay $64,314; Salary $64,313.60; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• NeoGov 5238258 job 2400267 (closed 3/13/2026; $78,250; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• NeoGov 5238266 job 2400269 (closed 3/13/2026; $85,072 plus $10,000; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• later NeoGov 5358440 job 2400306 (closed 6/26/2026; $85,072 plus $10,000; TCOLE within 180 days; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Detention Recruits (retrieved 2026-08-22)
• GovernmentJobs careers/sugarlandtx (0 jobs; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• TCOLE Statewide Vacancies (no Sugar Land string in the static HTML this retrieval; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• Adopted 37 TAC §217.1, effective June 1, 2026 (TCOLE license floor; retrieved 2026-08-22)
• sugar-land-pd (200, no dollar, no open posting); sugar-land-fire-department ($70,000)