News
Board Approves New Police Trainee Sponsorship Program
This article has been updated to reflect the HISD Board of Education's approval of this plan on May 8.
In order to compete more effectively with other police departments for qualified recruits, the HISD Police Department has implemented a new Police Trainee Sponsorship Program.
“We have had difficulty filling positions due to intense competition between Texas police departments for available recruits,” explained HISD Police Chief Charles Wiley. “Many police departments sponsor trainees and pay for their training in exchange for a multi-year commitment—and that’s what we are proposing to the Board of Education.”
Under the new program, each candidate will sign an agreement to work for the HISD Police Department for a period of three years after graduation from an academy. There are several state-supported academic institutions in the Houston area that offer 12-week police officer certification programs. These institutions are approved by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education.
Two options will be offered under the new program. In the first, an applicant will be hired as an HISD Police Trainee and enroll in one of the local academies. The training and a basic salary will be paid for by HISD. Upon graduation, that applicant will be sworn in as an HISD Police Officer.
The second option is attractive to recruits who are presently working in another field while paying for their own police training courses. In exchange for the HISD Police department picking up the entire training cost, that applicant will commit to at least three years service to the HISD Police Department.
Funding for this program will be covered by unused salary funds allotted to increase the size of the police force by 20 officers. The program will be used to fill those positions.
