How To Become A Police Officer In Georgia
The requirements to become a police officer in Georgia are quite straightforward. You must:
Be at least 21 years old
Have a high school diploma or GED
Be a US citizen or have legal residency status in the US
Have no felony convictions
Have no convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs within the past 10 years.
If you meet these requirements and want to work as a police officer in Georgia, here are some steps you can take to begin your application process:
- Go to the website of your local law enforcement agency and submit an application. This may be done online or by mail.
- If you are hired as a police officer, you will have training requirements that include both on-the-job training and formal classes at an accredited college or university.
How To Become Police Officer In Georgia
While police officers are a profession that has openings across the country, the positions may have different requirements depending on your location. To become a police officer in the state of Georgia, you need to graduate from a police academy, which has many state-specific regulations. Understanding these requirements and what steps you need to take to become a police officer may help you find a police officer role in Georgia.
In this article, we explore what you may need to do to become a Georgia police officer and some helpful tips that may allow you to find a position that’s right for you.
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What does a police officer in Georgia do?
A police officer protects the community and enforces laws in a particular area of Georgia. They can patrol communities, investigate crimes and respond to public emergencies. In larger areas, such as cities like Atlanta, police stations may sort police officers into different departments where they focus on a specific type of crime.
Related: How To Become a Police Officer
How to become a police officer in Georgia
These are a few steps you can follow to become a police officer in the state of Georgia:
1. Meet basic qualifications
Before beginning your police officer training, you may need to meet some basic demographic qualifications. In the state of Georgia, recruits need to be at least 18 years old, have United States citizenship and complete a high school education. Try to make sure you meet these requirements before applying for a training academy or police officer job.
Related: Things To Consider Before Becoming a Police Officer
2. Contact police academies
You may need certification from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) before becoming a police officer, which can require you to complete training at a police academy. Talking to admissions officers or other people who work at the academy you want to attend may help you better understand their programs and requirements. Consider researching police academies in your area and contacting them to learn more about their programs.
3. Take the entrance exam
Police academies in Georgia require you to pass an entrance exam before enrolling in a program. There are three potential entrance exams in Georgia: The Accuplacer, COMPASS or ASSET tests. You can schedule a testing session for one of these tests at most technical colleges in Georgia.
4. Pass a background check
Once you finish the entrance exam, you may need to complete a background check. Georgia police officers need to have no previous record of imprisonment or criminal activity. This screening often includes a drug test. You can schedule a background check by contacting the company Professional Screening and Information (PSI), which performs all official background checks for police officers in Georgia.
5. Get a medical evaluation
While gathering the necessary pre-requisites for joining a police academy, you may need to visit a physician for a medical evaluation. These evaluations help ensure that you’re healthy enough to perform the physical tasks of a police officer. This screening can also include an eye exam.
6. Attend an interview
After completing your entrance exam, passing a background check and contacting police academies, your chosen academy can contact you to schedule an interview with the academy manager. This is a formal, professional interview where the manager ensures you’re suitable for their police officer training program. If you successfully complete this interview, you can officially enroll in the academy.
7. Submit your application
Once your police academy accepts you, you may need to send an application to POST to finalize the enrollment. Applications require proof of your background check, test scores, medical evaluation records and approval from your academy’s manager. You can find the application on POST’s website, where you can complete it and pay an application fee.
8. Pass physical agility tests
Georgia state law requires police academy recruits to complete three physical agility tests before attending their program. These tests occur 30, 17, and seven days before you start your police academy training. In these tests, you may need to complete a course that requires you to perform multiple physical tasks, such as running, jumping, crawling, climbing and dragging heavy objects.
9. Attend police academy
After finishing your physical agility tests, you can start your training at your police academy. These programs usually last around six months and teach important skills, such as shooting, criminal procedures, ethics, crime prevention techniques and community relations. Most academies finish with a final exam and give you your police certification after a graduation ceremony.
Read more: FAQ: What Do You Do in the Police Academy?
10. Apply for police officer positions
You can start to search for police officer positions during your time at a police academy or after you receive your certification. Applying for police positions functions like most jobs, with an application, resume and potentially an interview. Consider looking at the websites of nearby police stations to determine if they have any available police officer roles.
Related: How To Write a Police Officer Resume Objective (With Examples)
11. Complete field training
When a police department accepts you as a police officer recruit, you may need to participate in field training. This training allows you to perform certain police tasks under the supervision of an experienced officer. Once you complete field training, you can join the police station as a full-time officer.
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Tips for becoming a police officer in Georgia
Here are a few suggestions that can help you start your career as a police officer in Georgia:
Check county requirements
Some individual counties may have different rules than the rest of the state of Georgia. For example, Cobb county only accepts police officer recruits over the age of 21. Try to research the individual rules of the area you want to work at to determine if there are any unique regulations in that county.
Find a mentor
A mentor is a professional in your industry, such as law enforcement, that can give you advice and provide resources for your career. Finding a police officer that can mentor you may help you prepare for police academy, practice for your interview and can even help you discover unlisted police officer job opportunities. Consider asking people you know who are police officers or contacting a local police station to try to find a mentor.
Related: How To Ask Someone to Be Your Mentor
Study for your placement test
To qualify for police academy, Georgia requires a placement skills test that assesses your problem-solving, math and reading comprehension abilities. Studying for this test may increase your chances of passing and enrolling at the training center of your choice. Try to discover if there are any resources at your nearby technical college to help you prepare for the placement exam, such as tutors, written test guides or practice exams.
