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City council considers dropping experience requirement to become a Dallas police officer

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City council considers dropping experience requirement to become a Dallas police officer


The city of Dallas is considering reducing the qualifications to become a Dallas police officer. 

But some Dallas City Council members are pushing back on the idea. 

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Right now, to become a Dallas police officer, one needs either college credit, experience in the U.S. Armed Forces or a TCOLE peace officer license. 

Under the new proposal, there would be no experience required. 

For eight years, the Dallas Police Department has struggled to recruit and retain police officers.

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The latest strategy recommended by the city’s civil service board is to allow high school graduates or those with GED to apply with no college credit or experience necessary. 

“We are competing for limited talent with limited interest in a sworn position,” said Jarred Davis with the city’s civil service department. “It’s like sales; the more you put in the funnel, the better results you will have hiring quality candidates on the back end.”

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Right now, there are several paths to becoming a Dallas police officer:

  • one can transfer from another department
  • must have three years of service in the armed forces
  • have 45-60 college credit hours, depending on age, with a 2.0 GPA

“To me, it is not what you are studying, but are you maturing? Having other experiences? You have to show up, earn your grades, work with the instructor,” said Councilwoman Gay Donnell-Willis.

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While applicants can transfer from another department with no college credits, Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn said their experience with that department would be their qualification. 

“I’m just going to say it. I don’t like this proposal at all,” she said. “I don’t want us to lower our standards for police officers.

While Austin and San Antonio only require a high school diploma or GED, cities like Arlington and Plano require a bachelor’s degree. 

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“This is what the civil service board has supported, and we think this would be a step in the right direction for expanding our reach for recruitment,” Davis said.

Mendelsohn disagreed.

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“We are not talking about any kind of job here that is anyone off the street doing a file clerk job,” she said. “We are giving someone a gun and the ability to kill other people. I won’t support lowering it.”

The public safety committee said there were still too many questions to move the proposal forward to the full city council for a vote. There will be another briefing likely in December. 



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Dallas, TX

Dallas delays release of City Hall emails, citing security and negotiations

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Dallas delays release of City Hall emails, citing security and negotiations


CBS News Texas requested thousands of emails tied to the future of Dallas City Hall after a city report identified more than $1 billion in needed repairs. The city released 649 pages but asked the Texas Attorney General for permission to withhold thousands more, citing security concerns and confidential business negotiations. Critics, including some council members, have raised transparency concerns as discussions continue. The City Council is expected to decide City Hall’s future in June.



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Mark Cuban has one major regret after selling Dallas Mavericks

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Mark Cuban has one major regret after selling Dallas Mavericks


Mark Cuban says he has one big regret after cashing out of the Dallas Mavericks — and it’s not the sale itself.

“I don’t regret selling, I regret who I sold to. Yeah, yeah, I made a lot of mistakes in the process and I’ll leave it at that,” the billionaire entrepreneur said on an episode of the Intersections podcast published Tuesday.

He agreed in late 2023 to sell a controlling stake in the franchise to casino magnate Miriam Adelson and her family.

Cuban, who spent nearly 20 years as one of the “shark” investors on “Shark Tank,” said the grind of owning an NBA franchise ultimately pushed him toward the exit, describing it as an all-consuming emotional rollercoaster that wore him down over time.

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Former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he regrets who he sold the team to — and blasted the franchise’s decision to trade Luka Dončić without his input. Intersections Podcast/YouTube

“It’s a big emotional commitment, right? You hear the passion and everything — now imagine going up and down like that every single game. That’s hard,” he said.

The intensity of fan reactions — especially when the team struggled — made him wary of his children working in that environment and being subjected to what he described as abusive treatment, Cuban added.

But while the celeb money-man defended the decision to sell, he drew a line at how things unfolded after the deal — particularly a blockbuster trade involving franchise cornerstone Luka Dončić.

Cuban said he was blindsided when the Mavericks moved the star player, describing a chaotic late-night phone call that left him stunned.

“I got a text from a then-general manager and he said ‘Call.’ And I did and I thought he was asking me what I thought about a potential trade for Luka he was like, ‘No, Mark, it’s done,’” Cuban recounted.

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Casino magnate Miriam Adelson leads the ownership group that bought a controlling stake in the Mavericks, a deal Cuban now says he regrets. Getty Images

“I was like, ‘What did we trade him for?’ And he told me — and no disrespect to Anthony Davis — but I’m like, ‘He’s hurt a lot.’”

The former owner said he immediately viewed the deal as a catastrophic mistake — one he had no power to stop.

“I called the new owner and he started telling me stuff that wasn’t true that he had been told as the reason why he approved it and I’m like, that’s not true — um, this is a mistake but nothing I can do,” Cuban said.

Cuban framed Dončić as a once-in-a-generation talent who should have been untouchable under any circumstances. he added.

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Beyond basketball logic, Cuban suggested the decision was influenced by internal tensions and personal dynamics within the Mavericks organization.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić was traded in a stunning move that Mark Cuban called a “mistake,” saying generational players like him are untouchable. Getty Images

Cuban also pointed to former general manager Nico Harrison as a key figure in the decision-making process, arguing that personal relationships may have skewed the front office’s judgment.

He noted Harrison had been close with Anthony Davis, the former Lakers star who went to the Mavs in the Dončić swap, since Davis was about 13 years old, while head coach Jason Kidd also previously coached him.

“You talk about confirmation bias, that there’s there was some of that, as well,” Cuban said, suggesting those ties contributed to the decision to trade away Dončić.

The comments highlight a growing rift between Cuban and the new ownership group led by Adelson, whose family acquired about 73% of the franchise in a deal valued at around $3.5 billion.

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Cuban retained a minority stake but has increasingly signaled he no longer holds meaningful influence over basketball operations.

The Post has sought comment from Cuban and Adelson.



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3 things to know about Stars-Bruins: Dallas wraps East Coast road trip looking to turn things around

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3 things to know about Stars-Bruins: Dallas wraps East Coast road trip looking to turn things around


The Dallas Stars have been bitten by the injury bug and are slogging through the final stretch of the regular season having lost five of their last six games.

Can they turn it around on Tuesday? To do so, they’ll have to go through a stout Boston team on the road.

Here’s what to know about Stars-Bruins.

How to watch

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When: Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Where: TD Garden in Boston

TV/Streaming: Victory+/FOX 4

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Radio: Sportsradio 96.7/1310 The Ticket

Boston creamed

The Stars took it to the Bruins the last time these two teams met with a 6-2 romp in Dallas, in a game that, funnily enough, ended a losing skid for the Stars. Jason Robertson had a pair of goals and Wyatt Johnston added another.

That was all the way back in January, though. These days the Bruins (42-24-8, fourth place in the Atlantic Division) are rolling, winners of three straight and clinging to the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. It continues the recent pattern of the Stars going up against teams likely to be desperate and hungry in the middle of a playoff chase.

Milestone for Robertson

Robertson has recorded five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last four games, dating back to March 24 against the New Jersey Devils. In all, the Stars forward has totaled 87 points (40, 47) in 74 games played this season, leading the team in scoring. Entering play Monday, his 87 points ranked 10th in the NHL and were the second-most in a single season of his career.

If Robertson were to tally three more points this season — and that’s likely a when more than an if — he would become the first player in Dallas Stars team history (since 1993-94) to have multiple 90-point seasons for the club. Robertson’s 40 goals are the third-most he has scored in a single season in his career and were tied for the fourth-most in the NHL entering play Monday.

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Home sweet home

The matchup against Boston wraps up the Stars’ last long road trip of the season. Dallas will return home after Tuesday for a string of home games against the Jets, Avalanche, Flames, Wild and Rangers, and then end their regular season slate on the road against the Maple Leafs and Sabres.

After that? It’s playoff hockey time once again in Dallas.



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