Recognition Program

On March 3, 2011, the Rockwall Police Department became the 42nd police agency, out of over 2,800 agencies in the State of Texas to be awarded “Recognized Status" by the Texas Police Chiefs Association. In 2006, the Texas Police Chiefs Association developed The “Recognition Program” to assist Texas police agencies in meeting their professional obligations to their communities. This is a voluntary process where police agencies prove their compliance with law enforcement’s current Best Practices.

Being “Recognized” means that the agency meets or exceeds all of the 164 identified Best Practices, which cover every aspect of law enforcement from pursuits, use of force, protection of citizen rights, evidence and property management, and other patrol and investigative operations. This “Recognized” status ensures that an agency has carefully planned for these critical issues, has developed policies and procedures to address them, as well as put systems in place to identify and correct problems.

To date 146 Texas Law Enforcement Agencies have received "Recognized Status". In March 2015 and March 2019, the Rockwall Police Department received "Re-Recognized Status" for compliance with the Texas Law Enforcement Agency Best Practices Recognition Program.

Police officers exercise government’s highest powers – the power to stop and question an individual; the power to arrest and seize a person and his property; and the power to use force, including deadly force, in that process. Police agencies direct and control an officer’s activity through supervision, training, and written policies and procedures. Since supervisors cannot always be present, officers often operate alone. This means training and policies, along with the appropriate equipment, are even more critical to ensure proper performance.

The Recognition Program assures city management and the citizens of Rockwall that their Police Department is operating within the best practices of law enforcement. The review process of policies, the on-site visit to inspect equipment and facilities, interviews of staff, and proof of compliance in all areas took over a year to complete. For more information regarding Texas Police Chiefs Association Recognition Program please visit their website at www.texaspolicechiefs.org