All Texas police officer licenses now searchable online

AUSTIN (KXAN) – In a major change for police transparency, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) has released its online license lookup tool allowing the public to search and view the status of current and former licensed Texas peace officers, jailers or telecommunicators.

Now, police officer licenses can be checked like most other licensed jobs in the state with public lookups – such as doctors, nurses, plumbers, electricians, midwives and dozens of others. Getting the records used to require an official request submitted under the Texas Public Information Act.

The license lookup tool requires a simple registration, and it is available here .

Information in the database includes records of training, license issue date, training compliance, and education information. TCOLE said no private or personal identifying information is available, and it created a process to ensure undercover officer records are not shown.

“This is a positive step in TCOLE transparency, bringing the agency in line with other major professions. Online access to police officer licensing information is an important tool to help the public stay informed,” said Kelley Shannon, executive director Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. “The more public records that are available online, the better. It reflects how the modern world functions.”

The public database was outlined in TCOLE’s expansive sunset bill, Senate Bill 1445 , by Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, that passed last year.

That legislation contained myriad reforms to TCOLE’s oversight of law enforcement, record keeping and rules for forming new police departments, among other things. Many of the reforms are still being implemented.

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