Keeping you, your family and our community safe.
Preparing for the Austin Police Department Hiring Process
Dear Applicant,
In order to be prepared for the extensive hiring process required by the Austin Police Department, we highly
recommend that you review this document and start working on this information once you submit your
application.
1. After submitting your application, you will generally hear from the Austin Police Department Recruiting Unit
within 2-4 weeks. Applicants who pass the initial review period will be scheduled for Phase I testing. You
will receive more information on Phase I testing if you pass the initial application review. If you do not pass
the initial review you will be notified of your disqualification and an eligibility date when you can reapply.
2. If you pass all the components of Phase I testing you will be required to submit an electronic Background
History Statement (BHS) – which is different than your initial application. The BHS asks an extensive
amount of information, in addition to your initial application, about your life. It also requires you to upload
several documents. You must answer all questions completely and upload the documents within two (2)
weeks from the date you are notified of passing Phase I testing or you will be disqualified from the hiring
process. We recommend that you start working on this information as soon as you submit your initial
application so you can be prepared for your BHS. Some of the information you will need to submit includes:
a. Complete 10 years of chronological residence history: You must list every address you have
lived within the last 10 years. In addition you will need to supply names, contact numbers and email
addresses for any roommates or landlords you had in those places.
b. Complete 10 years of work history: You must list every job you have had in the last 10 years. In
addition you must supply names, contact numbers and email addresses for the following:
i. Current Employer: Current supervisor and three (3) coworkers.
ii. All Prior Employers: Supervisor and one (1) coworker.
c. Complete 10 years of relationship history: You must list every person you have dated in the
last 10 years. You must supply names, contact numbers and email addresses for each person you
had a dating relationship with.
d. Family and Personal References: You must provide names, addresses, contact numbers and
email addresses of all your immediate family members and five (5) personal references that you have
known for at least two (2) years. Immediate family members includes parents, step-parents, adoptive
parents, siblings, step-siblings, adoptive siblings, half-siblings and all children.
Austin Police Department
City of Austin: Founded by Congress, Republic of Texas, 1839
Recruiting Division
P.O. Box 689001, Austin, Texas 78768-9001
(512) 974-4211 (Telephone)
(512) 974-4212 (Fax)
http://www.austintexas.gov/department/recruiting-unit
Keeping you, your family and our community safe.
3. You will also be required to electronically submit the following documentation:
a. Driver’s License
b. Social Security Card
c. High School Diploma, Official High School Transcripts or GED
d. Birth Certificate
e. Naturalization Documents, if applicable
f. College Transcripts, if applicable
g. DD214 (Member 4 or Service 2 versions only) or good standing letter from Commanding Officer if
still in the military, if applicable
h. Marriage License, if applicable
i. All Divorce Decrees and Addendums, if applicable
j. Last two (2) earnings statements of your current job or your last filed tax return if unemployed.
k. If you have current or prior law enforcement experience you must obtain a copy of your personnel file
and any internal affairs investigations in which you have been involved. If you are unable to obtain
this documentation, you must provide an addendum explaining the reason(s) why and what you did to
attempt to get this information.
You may be asked to supply an updated Experian credit report.
4. In addition to working on this information for your hiring process, we highly recommend that you are
preparing yourself physically for the Austin Police Academy. Our entry standard to get into the academy
consists of a 2000 meter rowing test. However, physical workouts during the academy are cross-fit style
workouts. The most common reason people drop out of the academy early on is because they underestimate
the physical demands and are not physically ready. It is in your best interest to use the time it takes to get
hired to be at your peak physical condition when starting the academy.
You can get a glimpse of what to expect during the academy by viewing our Austin Police Department
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Cadet Class videos on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/5o_16ohUiXw?list=PLDKZTUlNzz3r8RfS3QE3sMa6s42OKmvAK
Additional information on our hiring process and common disqualifiers can be found on our website at
www.APDRecruiting.org
Austin Police Department
Recruiting Unit
www.APDRecruiting.org
(512) 974-4211
