DPS Eligibility Requirements

Eligibility requirements for Heath Department of Public Safety applicants are established by the City of Heath, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education and the Texas Commission on Fire Protection.

• Applicants must be at least 21 years of age at the time of testing.
• Applicants must be United States citizens.
• Applicants must be free of disease or physical/mental defects that would prevent the individual from performing the essential duties of a police officer.
• At the time of application, all applicants must possess High School diploma/GED & 45 semester credit hours from an accredited college or university and one of the following:
  • A Basic Peace Officer’s Certification issued by Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) or,
  • A Basic Firefighter Certification issued by Texas Commission on Fire Protection (TCFP) with a Basic EMT certification from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
• Prior law enforcement, firefighting, or military service experience may be substituted for college hours.
• Applicants eyesight must be correctable to 20/30 in each eye, with appropriate color vision.
• Applicants must have normal hearing.
• Persons who have been convicted of a felony or a Class A Misdemeanor are not eligible to be licensed by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and therefore are not eligible to test for a public safety recruit position with the Heath Department of Public Safety.
• Applicants cannot be on probation for any offense on the date of application submission.
• Applicants must possess a valid driver’s license and cannot have more than three moving violations or at-fault accidents in the preceding 36 months from the date of application.
• Applicants cannot have a DWI/DUI, or reckless driving conviction in the ten (10) years prior to the date of application.

The City of Heath is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) and an dedicated advocate of workplace diversity.