Police Officer Qualifications

BACKGROUND OF ENTRY LEVEL POLICE OFFICERS
AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFIERS


OVERVIEW:


The purpose of this appendix is to outline acts that would disqualify an applicant for consideration as a Lancaster Police Officer. This appendix is not meant to contain every issue that would preclude an applicant from being hired, but it should be used as a benchmark. Some issues will permanently disqualify an applicant from being hired; others only temporarily. If the disqualification is temporary, the applicant can re-apply 1 year from the date of determination of disqualification. Some of the items listed in the appendix are mandated by TCLEOSE; the department has created others.


Criminal History

No conviction for or probation that would preclude a person from being licensed by TCOLE. (TCOLE Standard)

  • No conviction of a crime of moral turpitude, no time limit applies.
  • Under indictment or pending trial for any Felony, Class A or Class B misdemeanor or non-traffic Class C misdemeanor. (or any family violence offense)
  • Prohibited by any state or federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition. (TCOLE Standard)
  • Can not have admitted to committing a sex crime, a hate crime or an aggravated act of violence, even if the act was never discovered or the applicant was never arrested or charged. Situations covered in the Texas Penal Code, section 22.011, dealing with affirmative defenses may not automatically disqualify an applicant.
  • Can not have been jailed at anytime for failing to pay child support, unless the applicant can prove that he was wrongfully jailed.

Driving History


  • Convicted of Failure to Stop and Render Aid.
  • Convicted of Driving While License Suspended in the last 10 years.
  • Have a Tier One violation
    1. DUI/DWI violation on the MVR
    2. Currently revoked or suspended license, including hardship/restricted license
    3. At-fault accident involving fatality
  • Have a Tier Two violation (occurring within the last 3 (3) years)
    1. Two (2) moving violations; or
    2. Two (2) suspended or revoked license violation; or
    3. Two (2) failure to appear in court to pay a fine citation; or
    4. Two (2) seat belt violations
  • May not have had a suspended license within 2 years of application.
  • Prohibited by any state or federal law from operating a motor vehicle. (TCOLE Standard)

Drug Usage


  • Must not admit to or be found to have engaged in the use of marijuana in the past 2 (2) years
  • Must not admit to or be found to have engaged in the use of marijuana over 10 (10) times
  • Must not admit to or be found to have illegally sold, grown, transported or manufactured marijuana for remuneration.
  • Must not admit to or be found to have engaged in the use of any drug in Penalty Group 1, 2, 3 or 4 of the Texas Controlled Substances Act, without a prescription or medical supervision Examples include, but are not limited to:
    1. Penalty Group 1 - Opium, Heroin, LSD, Acid, Morphine, Codeine, Cocaine.
    2. Penalty Group 2 - Ecstasy, Mushrooms, MDM, MDMA, Amphetamine.
    3. Penalty Group 3 - Diazepam, Peyote, Lysergide, Chloral hydrate, Derivative of Barbituric Acid
    4. Penalty Group 4 - Darvon, Darvocet and other prescription drugs.
  • The use of Penalty Group 4 drugs for non-medical or recreational purposes is prohibited in accordance with this section. Use or delivery without remuneration of any medically prescribed drug for purely medicinal purposes will not be used to disqualify an applicant
  • Must not admit to or be found to have engaged in the illegal manufacture, production, transportation or sale of any drug listed in the Texas Controlled Substance Act.
  • The applicant may never have used or sold any illegal drug, while at work.
  • Must not admit to or be found to have engaged in the use of any human growth hormone or any anabolic steroid more than 1 time after 9/1/89 as regulated under the Texas Controlled Substance/Dangerous Drug Act (Health and Safety Code), 481.035, Schedule IV (5), without a prescription from a licensed physician and none within 1 year immediately preceding the date of application. Usage shall mean a single injection or a cycle (series of injections), or oral ingestion. The beginning of a cycle, whether completed or not constitutes a single usage. However, the completion of a cycle shall not be defined as multiple usages, only as a single usage.
  • Must not admit to or be found to be currently abusing prescription drugs.
  • Shown by a physician to be drug dependent or a user of illegal drugs. (TCOLE
     Standard)

Alcohol Usage

  • Never have been intoxicated at work. This does not apply to situations where the applicant was part of a study or involved in a work-approved project.
  • Must not have been convicted of Public Intoxication or any equivalent offense within 12 months of application.

Credit


  • Have an unfavorable credit pattern, reflecting a dishonorable failure to pay just debts, without excuse due to circumstances beyond the applicant’s control
  • Delinquent on any court judgment, including child support, without excuse due to circumstances beyond the applicant’s control.

Employment History

  • Must not have been terminated by an employer for conduct that would render them unfit to be a police officer or would reflect poorly on the City of Lancaster.

Military Service


  • Discharged from military service, under less than honorable conditions. (TCOLE Standard)

License Issues

  • Had a TCLEOSE license revoked or denied by final order. (TCOLE Standard)
  • Have a voluntary surrender of license or suspension in effect. (TCOLE Standard)
  • Never have had any of the items listed in statement 1 or currently under any of the items listed in statement 2, in effect in another state, relating to a peace officer license, a jailer license or a security guard license.
  • Any action or incident that would preclude an applicant from being licensed by TCOLE.

Current or Prior Law Enforcement Officers

  • Currently under any departmental investigation.
  • Under investigation for any excessive use of force issues or civil rights violations or sexual harassment complaints or similar internal investigations.
  • Have a history of sustained excessive use of force complaints or civil rights violations or sexual harassment complaints or similar internal investigations.
  • Currently party to a suit involving allegations of excessive use of force, wrongful death or civil rights violations.

Legal Action

  • Can not be a party to a lawsuit that would reflect poorly on the City of Lancaster or the Police Department or that would take the applicant out of training for an unreasonable amount of time.

Definitions

  • A felony is defined as described in the Texas Penal Code, if not in the Texas Penal Code, the offense will be judged equivalent if similarly classified by:
    1. Another penal provision of Texas Law;
    2. A penal provision of any other state, federal, military or foreign jurisdiction.
  • A person is convicted of a felony when an adjudication of guilt on a felony offense is entered against the person by a court of competent jurisdiction, whether or not:
    1. The sentence is subsequently probated and the person is discharged from probation;
    2. The classification of the offense as a felony is changed, because Texas law changed or because the offense would not be a felony under current Texas law. (TCOLE Standard) (Revised 02/01/2001)
    3. The person is pardoned for the offense, unless the pardon is expressly granted for subsequent proof of innocence.
  • A misdemeanor is defined as described in the Texas Penal Code, if not in the Texas Penal Code, the offense will be judged equivalent if similarly classified by:
    1. Another penal provision of Texas Law;
    2. A penal provision of any other state, federal, military or foreign jurisdiction.
  • A conviction of a misdemeanor will not be counted if the applicant receives a pardon or in the case of probation pursuant to deferred adjudication, resulting in dismissal and discharge in accordance with Texas Code of Criminal Procedure or similar: state, federal, military or foreign proceedings.
  • All citations issued to an applicant where pleas of guilt or no-contest were entered will be counted towards total citations. Citations dismissed by the court or the applicant was found not guilty will not count in the calculation. Traffic citations with a disposition of deferred adjudication, probation and defensive driving will count towards the calculation of total citations issued. The date a citation was issued is the date of record for calculations.

Recruitment Contacts


Officer S. Natareno Email

For more information, please call 972-218-2720