The East Texas Police Academy holds multiple Day and Night Basic Peace Officer Courses (BPOC) across our service area. Following successful completion of the BPOC, those meeting the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) licensing requirements will be eligible to take the peace officer licensing test. 

BPOC tuition is $2,000. A non-refundable, $75.00 SPEAR facility-use fee will also be charged upon registration for the BPOC. Council of Governments' grant funding may be available for students depending on their sponsorship status.

If you have any questions regarding current or future course scheduling or availability, please contact us 903.983.8663. 

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Day Basic Peace Officer Course

The Day Basic Peace Officer Course is 775 hours of instruction. The courses typically meet Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:30 PM, with some evenings/nights required for specific training events. Courses conducted outside of Kilgore will be required to come to Kilgore for certain training events lasting up to a week in duration (Firearms, Police Professional Driving, etc). Depending on scheduling, the Day Basic Peace officer Course is typically 5-7 months in duration. 

 

City	Start Date	End Date	Location	Tuition + Fees	Non-Employed Application Deadline
2024	2024	2024	2024	2024	2024
Texarkana #345	February 19, 2024	TBD	Texarkana @ TTPD SOTC	$2,075	TBD
Palestine #346	February 20, 2024	TBD	Palestine @ Anderson County SO	$2,075	TBD
Kilgore #347	May 20, 2024	TBD	Kilgore @ ETPA	$2,075	TBD
Texarkana #348	May 13, 2024	TBD	Texarkana @ TTPD SOTC	$2,075	TBD

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Night Basic Peace Officer Course 

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Non-Employed Application and Admissions Information:

If you are not currently employed with a law enforcement agency, or if your employing agency is not your sponsoring agency, you will apply to the East Texas Police Academy as a “non-employed” applicant. Please carefully read all of the following information before beginning your application. 

 

Do not begin the screening phase until your initial application has been accepted and approved by ETPA. After your initial application has been accepted, ETPA will provide you with a packet containing all the forms and information needed to complete the screening. 

Check the course listing above for the application due dates. 

 

The non-employed application consists of two phases: 1. Initial Application; 2. Screening.

 

1.) The Initial Application consists of the following:

          a.) Sponsorship documentation 

          b.) Personal History Statement (PHS)

          c.) ETPA Licensing Course Applicant Declaration

          d.) Supporting Documentation 

 

After a non-employed applicant’s application has been conditionally approved, the applicant will move on to phase 2:

 

2.) Screening consists of the following 

          a.) L2 (Medical and Drug Screening)

          b.) L3 (Psychological Evaluation) 

          c.) Criminal History Check (FAST Fingerprints) 

          d.) Texas DPS Driver Records Check 

 

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Phase 1 - Initial Application 

Sponsorship:

The East Texas Police Academy requires that all applicants to the BPOC and NBPOC courses have a sponsoring agency. A chief administrator from any law enforcement agency in the State of Texas may sponsor a student.

Agencies that sponsor a student are under no financial obligation and are not obligated to employ the student. The sponsorship form must be signed by the chief administrator of their agency (or their designee) and notarized. 

Click here to download the Non-Employed Sponsorship Form. 

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Personal History Statement: 

All applicants turning in a PHS after 09/15/2021 must use this new form.

Carefully read the instructions on page 3 of the PHS before filling anything out.

Please type your information directly into the PHS, print it out, initial the bottom right corner of every page, and turn it in to our office. Do not fill out the form by hand. 

You must answer every single question. Do not leave any questions blank. Do not remove any pages from the PHS. If a question is not applicable to you, enter “N/A” or “Not Applicable” in the space provided. 

Incomplete or incorrectly filled out PHS’s will not be accepted.

Do not sign the last page unless you are in the presence of the official notarizing your PHS. We have a notary in our office that can notarize your documents at no charge. 

Make sure you save a copy of your PHS before printing it! 

Click here to open the ETPA PHS. 

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ETPA Licensing Course Applicant Declarations and Release of Information:

These three forms must be filled out completely, signed and notarized. We have a notary in our office that can notarize your documents free of charge. If you are unsure of how to fill the forms out, please call our office at 903.983.8663 and seek clarification. 

Click here to open the ETPA Licensing Course Applicant Declaration Page, Drug Use Declaration, and Authorization to Release Information

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Supporting Documentation: 

Applicants must provide the following: 

• Copy of your Social Security card
• Original certified copy of your birth certificate
• Copy of your valid Texas driver license or a copy of another State’s driver license
• Copy of your High School diploma or GED certificate
• Certified copy of your college transcript, if applicable
• Photocopy of your college diploma, if applicable 
• Copy of your DD-214 and/or other military discharge documents, if applicable
• Original certified copy of your Naturalization papers, if applicable (no photo copy) 
• Copy of current proof of automobile liability insurance

Bring your original or a court certified copy of your birth certificate, high school diploma or GED, education transcripts, or any other legal paperwork to our office. We can not accept other photocopies of these documents if you do not bring in the original. If you bring in the original documents, we will copy them and return your originals to you. 

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Phase 2 - Screening 

L2 (Medical and Drug Screening):

The L2 must be accompanied with the L-2 Notice of Duties Form, and must be completed by one of the approved professionals listed here. Do not schedule your L2 appointment until your application has been conditionally approved by ETPA. 

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L3 (Psychological Evaluation):

The L3 must be accompanied with the L-3 Notice of Duties Form, and must be completed by one of the approved professionals listed here. Do not schedule your L3 appointment until your application has been conditionally approved by ETPA. 

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Criminal History Check (FAST Fingerprints):

You must use the ETPA provided FAST fingerprint form. The FAST form has step-by-step instructions on how to set up an appointment to have your prints done.  You must follow the instructions on this form exactly, including using the correct academy number and service code. ETPA can not accept fingerprints that are not completed exactly as required. 

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Texas DPS Driver Records Check :

Applicants must purchase and download a Texas DPS Type 1 Status Record ($4.00) from DPS. https://www.dps.texas.gov/section/driver-license/how-order-driver-record

The driving record is only valid for 45-days. 

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Employed Application and Admissions Information:

 

 If you are currently an employee or a TCOLE Licensee of your sponsoring agency, you and your agency will complete the Employed Application packet and submit a new PHS to ETPA. 

 

Click here for the Employed Cadet Application Packet

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ETPA Licensing Course Applicant Declarations and Release of Information:

These three forms must be filled out completely, signed and notarized. We have a notary in our office that can notarize your documents free of charge. If you are unsure of how to fill the forms out, please call our office at 903.983.8663 and seek clarification. 

Click here to open the ETPA Licensing Course Applicant Declaration Page, Drug Use Declaration, and Authorization to Release Information

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Personal History Statement: 

All applicants turning in a PHS after 09/15/2021 must use this new form.

Carefully read the instructions on page 3 of the PHS before filling anything out.

Please type your information directly into the PHS, print it out, initial the bottom right corner of every page, and turn it in to our office. Do not fill out the form by hand. 

You must answer every single question. Do not leave any questions blank. Do not remove any pages from the PHS. If a question is not applicable to you, enter “N/A” or “Not Applicable” in the space provided. 

Incomplete or incorrectly filled out PHS’s will not be accepted.

Do not sign the last page unless you are in the presence of the official notarizing your PHS. We have a notary in our office that can notarize your documents at no charge. 

Make sure you save a copy of your PHS before printing it! 

Click here to open the ETPA PHS. 

 

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BACTERIAL MENINGITIS VACCINATION:

Effective September 1, 2013, state law requires that entering  students who are younger than 22 years of age and who are attending any public, private, or independent institution of higher education must provide that educational institution with proof of immunization against bacterial meningitis within the five years prior to enrollment.  The student must provide this documentation no later than 10 days prior to the beginning of the class.  

For purposes of this law, "entering student" means either a student who has never attended a class at the educational institution or a student who previously attended an institution of higher education before January 1, 2012, and who is enrolling in the same or another institution of higher education following a break in enrollment of at least one fall or spring semester.  

There exist limited exceptions to this law based on legitimate religious or medical objections; please contact the Office of the Registrar (903.983.8200) for additional information.

There are two types of bacterial meningitis vaccines that are acceptable.  They may be listed by full vaccine name, brand name, or abbreviation on students’ shot records.  A student’s shot record must list one of the following within the last five years to meet the bacterial meningitis vaccination requirement:

     Meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine:  Menomune or MPSV4

     Meningococcal conjugate vaccine:  Menactra or Menveo or MCV4

Students will not be permitted to enroll or attend any course unless this new documentation has been provided.  PLEASE do not wait to get this done — it is not an "optional" issue.  State law is very clear on this new requirement.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING ON-CAMPUS HOUSING:

For those cadets who wish to live in on-campus housing, please be advised that the Texas legislature passed a new law which requires residents of on-campus housing to have a bacterial meningitis vaccination prior to move-in.  Kilgore College will not make a housing assignment on any student until this paperwork is on file in the Kilgore College Housing Office so as to comply with this law.  

Please take a look at www.kilgore.edu/meningitis_info.asp for further information.  Students may also contact Residential Life Director Edward Williams at 903.988.7520 for additional help.

Notices:  (1.)  ETPA reserves the right to cancel, prior to the first day of class, any scheduled basic academy due to low enrollment; and (2.) please be advised that ETPA does not participate in the WIA (“Workers Investment Act”) Program as it relates to payment for the BPOC or NBPOC.  ETPA does not accept payment from this program for entrance into the BPOC or NBPOC.

 

Uniforms and Equipment: