More than a year after The Hawk’s Eye first exposed a documented pattern of misconduct involving a North East Independent School District police officer, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement has formally cancelled that officer’s peace officer license. Newly released records from TCOLE, obtained through an open-records request following the commission’s December 15, 2025 meeting, confirm the cancellation was adopted after an administrative law judge found the officer was statutorily ineligible for certification.

The sequence of events — beginning with The Hawk’s Eye’s reporting in October 2024 and culminating in formal administrative action in late 2025 — illustrates how journalism can bring previously unexamined issues into the regulatory record.

First Exposed: The Hawk’s Eye Reporting in October 2024

On October 15, 2024, The Hawk’s Eye published an in-depth examination of Officer Rachel Mariano’s disciplinary history with the North East ISD Police Department, documenting repeated misconduct that remained largely unaddressed by departmental leadership. That reporting detailed incidents involving use of a patrol vehicle for personal business, insubordination, inappropriate workplace relationships, racially insensitive remarks, chronic tardiness and absenteeism, and a “no call, no show” failure to appear for an assigned dispatch shift — conduct that resulted in reprimands rather than suspension or termination.

The reporting also documented Mariano’s earlier history as a 17-year-old in December 2007, she was arrested for possession of marijuana in a school zone, a Class A misdemeanor under Texas law, and later received deferred adjudication, completing community supervision with dismissal of the charge. The October 2024 article raised questions about whether that criminal history, together with subsequent workplace conduct, affected eligibility for peace officer certification under Texas law.

TCOLE’s Administrative Action and SOAH Referral

In 2025, TCOLE staff initiated an enforcement action asserting that Mariano was ineligible to hold a Texas peace officer license. Under Texas Occupations Code and TCOLE rules, individuals who have been convicted of, or placed on court-ordered supervision for, an offense above a Class B misdemeanor are generally ineligible for certification absent a waiver.

Mariano was issued her peace officer license on April 16, 2021. TCOLE staff later contended that the license should not have been issued because statutory eligibility requirements were not met at the time of application. The matter was referred to the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

Summary Disposition and Administrative Findings

TCOLE moved for summary disposition, asserting that there were no disputed material facts and that cancellation was required as a matter of law. In a Proposal for Decision issued in July 2025, the administrative law judge concluded that the undisputed evidence showed Mariano was ineligible for certification when her peace officer license was issued and recommended cancellation.

The administrative record reflects that Mariano did not file a timely response to the motion. The Proposal for Decision set out findings of fact and conclusions of law supporting cancellation based on statutory licensing requirements.

Commission Vote and Final Agency Action

On December 15, 2025, TCOLE commissioners voted during a public meeting to accept the administrative law judge’s Proposal for Decision and adopt it as the final agency action. That vote resulted in the formal cancellation of Mariano’s Texas peace officer license.

Role of Prior Reporting

The Hawk’s Eye’s October 2024 reporting was the first public account to assemble and present records documenting Mariano’s criminal disposition, disciplinary history, and employment record with North East ISD.

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