The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) is the regulatory agency for law enforcement officers and standards in Texas, offering credentialing in the same way as licensing bodies in other professions.
The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement certifies all peace officers in Texas, including sheriffs and their deputies, constables and their deputies, police officers, Texas Rangers, and other specialized officers, as well as jailers.
The agency is responsible for regulating police academies and other training institutes, verifying that continuing education requirements are fulfilled, suspending or revoking licenses for noncompliance, and setting requirements for obtaining proficiency certificates.
The agency was the subject of a blistering November 2020 report by the Sunset Advisory Commission, which concluded that “Texas’ approach to regulating law enforcement is ineffective,” and “the state’s regulatory model, bifurcated between state and local government, creates significant gaps that undermine the purpose of statewide licensure, and does not best ensure public safety or law enforcement accountability and transparency.”
TCOLE is overseen by a nine-member board appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate. By law, all six members of the commission must be law enforcement officers.
TCOLE operates with a budget of about $4 million and employs 53 full-time staff, according to the FY 2019 budget. TCOLE’s governing statute is Chapter 1701 of the Texas Occupations Code.
