State training requirements
Texas Peace Officer Training Requirements
Who governs peace officer standards in Texas, the annual in-service requirement, the mandated topics for de-escalation and crisis response, and who decides what counts for in-service credit.
Verified as of July 9, 2026
Who governs
Peace officer standards and training in Texas are set by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).
Annual in-service requirement
Texas requires 40 hours of continuing education every 24-month training unit, per officer, under Occupations Code 1701.351(a) and mirrored in 37 TAC 218.3(b)(1). A training cycle is 48 months, which is two 24-month training units. Within each 24-month training unit the education must include the legislative update and not less than 16 hours of active-shooter (ALERRT) training, and all peace officers must complete ALERRT Level 1 by August 31, 2027. Officers below intermediate proficiency must complete Cultural Diversity, Special Investigative Topics, Crisis Intervention, and De-escalation.
Mandated topics relevant to CodeBlu
De-escalation and crisis intervention (one-time)
Occupations Code 1701.253(j) requires a 40-hour statewide de-escalation and crisis-intervention program on interaction with persons with mental impairments, to be completed by the second anniversary of licensing or of an intermediate-proficiency application, whichever is earlier. The statute prohibits satisfying this requirement through an online course. A separate one-time 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training applies to officers licensed on or after April 1, 2018, to be completed within two years.
Active shooter (ALERRT)
Within each 24-month training unit, not less than 16 hours of active-shooter training is required, and all peace officers must complete ALERRT Level 1 by August 31, 2027.
Source: 37 TAC 218.3
Who decides in-service credit
Hybrid
For general and elective continuing education, TCOLE does not pre-approve or certify individual courses; an agency with a TCOLE agency number reports its own licensees' training under general course reporting numbers, and under 37 TAC 218.1(b) training may be submitted under the chief administrator's approval through a departmental report of training. Legislatively mandated courses carry Commission-developed curricula and fixed course numbers, and credit is refused for mandated or certification courses reported by unlicensed or non-contractual providers. Elective hours are agency discretion; mandated courses require the centralized curriculum and a licensed provider.
What this means for training like CodeBlu
Texas uses a mix of central approval and agency discretion for in-service credit. Where the decision rests with the agency, a department can decide whether training like CodeBlu counts toward its in-service hours; where a topic is centrally certified, the formal path runs through Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). Either way, this is not a determination of eligibility: CodeBlu does not certify hours or grant credit, and agency policy, the state's process, and legal counsel govern.
Primary sources
- POST-equivalent siteTexas Commission on Law Enforcement (official site)
- StatuteOccupations Code Chapter 1701 (1701.351 continuing education; 1701.253 mandated courses)
- Administrative code37 TAC 218.3 (continuing education)
- Administrative code37 TAC 218.1 (reporting and approval of training)
- POST-equivalent siteTCOLE Training Requirements
Verified as of July 9, 2026. This page is reviewed on an annual cadence, and the date is bumped only on re-verification against the primary sources above.
Frequently asked questions
- Who sets peace officer training requirements in Texas?
- Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) sets peace officer standards and training requirements in Texas.
- How many annual in-service training hours does Texas require?
- Texas requires 40 hours of continuing education every 24-month training unit, per officer, under Occupations Code 1701.351(a) and mirrored in 37 TAC 218.3(b)(1). A training cycle is 48 months, which is two 24-month training units. Within each 24-month training unit the education must include the legislative update and not less than 16 hours of active-shooter (ALERRT) training, and all peace officers must complete ALERRT Level 1 by August 31, 2027. Officers below intermediate proficiency must complete Cultural Diversity, Special Investigative Topics, Crisis Intervention, and De-escalation.
- Who decides what training counts for in-service credit in Texas?
- For general and elective continuing education, TCOLE does not pre-approve or certify individual courses; an agency with a TCOLE agency number reports its own licensees' training under general course reporting numbers, and under 37 TAC 218.1(b) training may be submitted under the chief administrator's approval through a departmental report of training. Legislatively mandated courses carry Commission-developed curricula and fixed course numbers, and credit is refused for mandated or certification courses reported by unlicensed or non-contractual providers. Elective hours are agency discretion; mandated courses require the centralized curriculum and a licensed provider.