Check Out This List of All The Crooked Cops in Texas

The job of a police officer is not an easy one, especially in the state of Texas.

For those who are part of the thin blue line, there is always the dark cloud of public criticism, ACAB, and a steady rumble of controversy. As a result, the internal politics of modern police are complicated with its own set of rules.

So what happens when a Texas peace officer goes rogue or steps far, far beyond the line of duty?

TCOLE Decertification

In order to become a law enforcement officer, the individual must meet the following four criteria set forth by the Texas Commission of Law Enforcement:

1. meet the minimum standards for enrollment and initial licensure;
2. successful completion of the basic licensing course;
3. passing of the state licensing examination; and
4. appointment by a law enforcement agency

If an officer exhibits continued substantiated reports of misconduct, is convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors, then their TCOLE license may be taken by the state commission.

Currently, there are 79,733 active peace officer licenses in the state of Texas, according to the TCOLE website's statistics section.

There are 3,783 police officers in Texas who are listed as decertified.

Here's The Big List of Decertified Texas Peace Officers

The names of police officers who have had their TCOLE license pulled are considered public information and can be made available to the public because police misconduct falls under a legal clause called the Brady disclosure.

The Brady disclosure is when "the prosecutor must disclose evidence or information that would prove the innocence of the defendant or would enable the defense to more effectively impeach the credibility of government witnesses." Or in other words, level out the playing field.

Have you had a run in with a crooked cop? You can check for yourself. Below is a PDF of decertifications through 2016 obtained by USA TODAY

There's also an interactive national database called Giglio-Brady List that can be filtered by state. Not only can you look up crooked cops, but you can view the prosecutors and judges who have been found guilty of judicial misconduct.