Texas State & Federal Law Update #3184 TCOLE – Launching Soon

By OSS Academy | Thu, 20 Aug 2015

OSS Academy® has released the new Texas Commission on Law Enforcement [TCOLE] Texas State and Federal Update #3184 online training course.

Multiple bills passed by the 84th Texas Legislature have an impact on Texas law enforcement. There were administrative changes, changes in existing statues, and new laws. In pursuit of equality in justice and ensuring public safety, peace officers will better serve their communities by increasing their awareness of changes and additions in state statutes. Case law, especially cases handed down by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), is of incredible importance to the administration of Justice. This curriculum will briefly cover recent judicial decisions that are important for law enforcement officers, law enforcement administrators, and policy makers.

A few highlights:

  • A new law, HB 593, requires peace officers to complete a minimum four (4) hour block of training on “canine encounters” within two (2) years of initial licensure if that training was not a part of the officer’s basic academy training. Effective January 1, 2016, the canine encounter training class becomes an intermediate and advanced certification course. TCOLE is required by this new statute to review the canine encounters curriculum at least once every four (4) years. The bill does state that an officer who has previously attended a canine encounter class of at least four (4) hours does not need to repeat the class for TCOLE purposes.
  • HB 2053 adds a course on the use of the Child Safety Check Alert List to the classes required for an officer to obtain an intermediate or advanced proficiency certificate.
  • One huge change made by the 84th legislature was designed to address the ongoing shortage of qualified applicants for peace officer jobs. The legislature recognized that there is a large pool of highly qualified, experienced, former officers whose peace officer licenses have expired but who would otherwise be excellent applicants. HB 872, effective 09/01/2015, permits former Texas Peace Officers to reactivate their peace officer license if the officer:
    1. completed at least ten (10) years of full-time service as a peace officer in good standing before the break in employment;
    2. meets current licensing standards;
    3. successfully completes: A. an online or in-person Supplemental Peace Officer* course of not more than 120 hours; B. other in-person training requirements of not more than forty (40) hours;
    4. passes a peace officer reactivation examination;
    5. pays any required fees.

*We added a link to #3 above for our Supplemental Peace Officer Course #1018 course offering.

To receive notification when this new course is launched, sign up for the OSS Academy Newsletter or contact our Training Coordinator at 281-288-9190 ext. 205

A sample of our TCOLE Courses Listing:

About OSS Academy

To learn more about OSS Academy® contact our Training Coordinator at 281-288-9190 (Ext. 205).