Before a Dallas Police recruit ever walks into the academy, they start with a morning at Dallas PD headquarters working to complete a series of physical fitness exercises.

The on-site training sessions are held twice a month and consist of 30-40 candidates completing a battery of strength and conditioning tests including timed runs, weightlifting, sit-ups and push-ups.

Lt. Joshua Hight oversees Dallas PD recruitment efforts and says the on-site appointments give candidates the opportunity to see up close a small portion of what could be ahead during a 10-month police academy class.

“Every step kind of weeds people out,” Hight said.

In addition to finding candidates that meet requirements, including having at least 45 college credit hours or three years military service or transfer from another police agency.

Dallas PD competes against not only other large U.S. cities for recruits but a myriad of North Texas agencies, some with starting pay outpacing Dallas’s $75,000 plus salary.

At a recent on-site testing class, Lesha Brown of Dallas told NBC 5 she was looking to make a career change from social work to law enforcement.

“I feel like this is my calling, I feel like I’m where I need to be,” Brown said.

Hight says Dallas PD recruiters are on just about every college campus in the state now.

“The focus is shifting back more towards Texas,” Hight said.

And it comes at a critical time.

Voters last November approved a measure mandating Dallas Police to grow their ranks to 4,000 officers.  As of January, Dallas PD has just over 3,100 officers.

The city is budgeted to hire 250 officers for the 2025 fiscal year that runs through September 30.

City councilmember Cara Mendelsohn, chair of the council public safety committee, said during a January meeting she plans to advance a resolution moving that hiring goal to 400 officers.

Interim Police Chief Michael Igo recently told NBC 5, it’s a hiring goal the department can meet.

“We can make those adjustments to get those personnel in,” Igo said. “Our recruiting team is working hard and it’s showing by the number of classes that we have coming up and the number of recruits in those classes,” Igo said. “So, we can make it happen.”

For candidates who complete the physical tests of on-site training, the three-day tryout continues with a polygraph examination and interview with the applicant review board.

The board, comprised of three officers, requires candidates to appear in formal business attire, and are graded on communication skills and judgment, according to Dallas PD.

The most recent policy academy, Class 404, started on January 15 with 54 recruits.  The class is set to graduate in November. Class 405 is set to begin in March, with the size of the recruiting class still to be finalized.

“It’s encouraging to see that our classes are growing again,” Igo said.

Dallas PD doesn’t release information about candidates who qualify as recruits for its academy, but during a recent on-site testing, Brown said she was glad she made the decision to apply.

“I encourage anybody if you feel you want to do it, you can do it,” Brown said.