Texas Law on Police Officer Personnel Records

Texas Senate Bill 15 creates a new rule for how police departments keep and share records on their officers. The law says that each police department must maintain a separate file, called a "department file," for every licensed officer they employ. This file contains important documents about each officer's conduct and work history. The department file must include any letters, memos, or documents about an officer that are not already in their personnel file. This includes records of alleged misconduct that the agency investigated but found insufficient evidence to sustain. By creating this separate file, police departments have a clear, organized place to keep this important information. When a police department hires a new officer, they can now review the department file from that officer's previous employers. This helps hiring officials make better decisions by learning about an officer's history at other agencies. The Texas Commission can also request these files as part of their investigations into officer conduct. The law protects these department files from being shared widely. Police departments cannot release information from these files to other agencies or people unless the law requires it. This keeps the files confidential while still allowing necessary sharing between police departments and the state commission. The law took effect 91 days after the legislative session ended.