Texas Department Wants to Eliminate College Requirement for Officers

In an effort to increase the number of potential new recruits eligible to join the agency, the Dallas Police Department wants to eliminate the requirement that recruits complete 45 hours of college credit.

During a city council meeting on the matter, DPD Assistant Chief Angela Shaw told the public safety committee, "There are a lot of cities such as San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth that don't require college — they only require a high school degree."

Changing Dallas' civil service rules would allow DPD to potentially offset the number of young officers who leave Dallas for law enforcement jobs in other cities with lateral transfers, according to the Dallas Observer