The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement adopted amendments to 37 Tex. Admin. Code §218.3 on August 10, 2026. The rule took effect September 1, 2026. Two new mandates sit at the center of the amended regulation.
First, individuals licensed as reserve law enforcement officers or public security officers must now complete Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training continuing education. According to TCOLE, this requirement is intended to ensure those officers maintain proficiency in rapid response scenarios — a standard that, before the amendment, did not apply to them under this specific rule.
Second, supervisors must complete an advanced incident response and command continuing education course within every two-year training unit. TCOLE described that supervisor-specific requirement as focused on command-level decision-making during critical incidents. It is a distinct obligation, separate from the baseline continuing education hours that apply to the broader peace officer population.
The 40-Hour Baseline and Who It Covers
The amended rule retains the existing framework for peace officers. All peace officers in Texas — unless specifically exempt by law — must complete at least 40 hours of continuing education within each two-year training unit, according to the rule. That 40-hour block must include the legislative update course corresponding to that specific training unit. The two-year cycle remains the standard compliance window.
The breadth of coverage is significant. The rule applies to all peace officers not carved out by a statutory exemption. Reserve officers and public security officers, who now face the added ALERRT training obligation, fall within this broader regulatory structure. Failure to meet the continuing education requirements may affect the status of an officer's license under TCOLE regulations, the commission indicated.
Rulemaking Process and Public Comment
TCOLE opened a public comment period on May 22, 2026, and closed it on June 25, 2026 — a 34-day window. No public comments were received during that period, according to the commission. The absence of comment did not slow the process. TCOLE adopted the amendments August 10, 2026, roughly six weeks after the comment period closed, and set the September 1 effective date.
TCOLE holds statutory authority to set training standards for law enforcement in Texas. The commission acted within that mandate in adopting these changes. No legislative action was required beyond the existing statutory framework already in place.
Standardization Across Ranks and License Categories
The amendment reflects an effort by TCOLE to standardize advanced response training across different levels of law enforcement and security personnel in the state. Reserve officers and public security officers have historically occupied a different regulatory posture than full-time peace officers on some training questions. Bringing those categories under the ALERRT continuing education requirement moves them closer to the standards applied to commissioned officers in active full-time roles.
The supervisor mandate operates on its own track. Requiring command-level personnel to complete incident response and command training every two-year cycle means that supervisors cannot satisfy the requirement once and consider the obligation fulfilled indefinitely. Every new training unit resets the clock. That structure keeps supervisor proficiency tied to the same recurring cycle that governs all other continuing education under the rule.
The combined effect — ALERRT requirements extended to reserve and security personnel, command training locked into a repeating cycle for supervisors, and a 40-hour floor for all non-exempt peace officers — is a tiered system. Each category of license holder now carries obligations matched to their role, all operating on the two-year training unit timeline.
Compliance tracking and enforcement fall under TCOLE's existing regulatory infrastructure. Officers and agencies should confirm that training completions are documented and submitted consistent with TCOLE's recording requirements before the end of the applicable training unit. License consequences for noncompliance make the deadlines real, not advisory.
