Deferred Adjudication's Effect on Becoming a Police Officer
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Reviewed & verified by A. Jason Velez, Esq.*
Managing Attorney, 1LAW · Last reviewed January 1, 2026
Legal Inquiry
Consumer Legal Issue
Pled guilty for deferred adjudication in 2023. I want to be a police officer in texas.
DUI and just misdemeanor charges including public intoxication and minor in possession.
Attorney Answer
It depends on exactly which offense is on your record, because Texas licensing rules draw a hard line.
Under 37 Tex. Admin. Code § 217.1(b)(4), court-ordered community supervision — including deferred adjudication — is a statewide bar to peace-officer licensure regardless of any individual department's views, but the rule sets two different bars, not one. Supervision for any offense above the grade of Class B misdemeanor — that is, any Class A misdemeanor or felony — is permanent: the rule requires that you have "never" been placed on it, and no amount of waiting cures it. Only supervision for a Class B misdemeanor carries the ten-year look-back, and it runs from the date of the court order. Section 217.1(b)(6) draws the same line for convictions. So the grade of your 2023 offense decides everything, and "DWI" by itself does not tell you the grade: a first adult DWI is a Class B misdemeanor, but under Tex. Penal Code § 49.04(d) a DWI with an alcohol concentration of 0.15 or more is a Class A misdemeanor. If any charge on your record was above Class B, you are barred for good rather than for ten years, and waiting out the decade would accomplish nothing. By contrast, a minor's "DUI" under Tex. Alcoholic Beverage Code § 106.041 is only a Class C misdemeanor, as are public intoxication and minor in possession — none of these trigger the automatic statewide bar, though TCOLE's good-moral-character review and individual department background checks still weigh them. Also, under Tex. Gov't Code § 411.0726, successfully completing deferred adjudication does not erase the record; licensing agencies and departments will still see it, though a nondisclosure order (available after a waiting period) can limit who else does.
What you can do:
1. Obtain certified copies of the judgments and dispositions to confirm the exact offense and its classification.
2. Have a Texas criminal-defense or licensing attorney determine which charge applies and how § 217.1 affects your eligibility.
3. Ask that attorney about petitioning for an order of nondisclosure under § 411.0726.
4. Be fully candid on any TCOLE application — omissions are treated more harshly than the underlying record.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does deferred adjudication show up on a background check for law enforcement licensing?
Generally yes; completing deferred adjudication does not erase the record, and licensing agencies typically still see it during background review.
Can a misdemeanor conviction bar someone from becoming a police officer?
In many states, being placed on court-ordered supervision for a qualifying misdemeanor within a set look-back period can create a statutory bar to law enforcement licensure.
Can a criminal record be sealed to help with a law enforcement application?
Some states offer an order of nondisclosure or expungement after a waiting period, which can limit who sees the record, though licensing agencies may still have access.
