Expert: Chris Wagoner - 1/3/2008

Question
QUESTION: Im thinking about joining a police acadamy and i dont know how old you have to be to join.

ANSWER: Hi Jeffery,

Well it varies from State to state, NY is 21 years old to be apolice officer and Florida is 19.

So it depends on what state you are interested in. If its not one fo the two above post a follow-up and let me know what state and I can find out very easy for you. There are other requirements also. In Florida our requirements are set by law, Florida State Statue 943.13 which says:

• You must be at least 19 years of age
• You must be a citizen of the United States
• You must be a high school graduate or equivalent
• You must not have been convicted of any felony, or misdemeanor involving perjury or false statement, nor have received a dishonorable or undesirable discharge from any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States. Any person who, after July 1, 1981, pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, or is found guilty of a felony or of a misdemeanor involving perjury or false statement shall not be eligible for employment or appointment as an officer, notwithstanding suspension of sentence or withholding of adjudication. Notwithstanding this subsection, any person who has pled nolo contendere to a misdemeanor involving a false statement, prior to December 1, 1985 and has had such record sealed or expunged shall not be deemed ineligible for employment or appointment as an officer
• You must agree to be fingerprinted by the employing agency or training academy
• You must pass a physical examination by a licensed physician that will be administered upon a conditional offer of employment
• You must be of good moral character
• You must successfully complete a background investigation
• You must complete basic recruit training
• You must complete an Affidavit of Applicant form (CJSTC-68)
• You must comply with continuing training or education requirements as deemed by the employing agency

You should also have a clean arrest record, and a good driving record. Your drug use should have been at least 3-5 years ago and recreational use may be OK. Heavyt use will disqualify you. You should consider getting a college degree as most departments want them these days and some even require them.

In the state of Florida you can go through the Academy in one of two ways, you can be hired and the Department pays you and pays your way or you can pay your own way and then try to get hired. There are over 40+ training centers in Florida where you can get your training.

You can go here for more on FLorida www.policecareers.org

Hope this helps

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok.. well im in hawaii now but im going to move back to missouri, so if u could give me all the info on that that would be a big help. and how long does the acadamy last?

Answer
Hi again Jeffery,

MMissouri State Police Officers Standards and Training Commission (POST) sets the requirements for that state.  POST establishes the basic level, 600 contact hours, of training required to meet the minimum standards for certification as a Class A Peace Officer.  The various blocks of subject material include, but are not limited to:

Legal Studies
Ethics & Professionalism
Patrol Procedures
Domestic Violence
Firearms
Crisis Intervention
Juvenile Justice
Criminal Investigations
Traffic Control
Emergency Driver Training
Hazardous Material I.D.
Defensive Tactics.

But various academies in Missouri have other things they add to the curriculum. So it will depend on where you decide to work or go to the academy as to exactly how long the academy is and how much it cost. Go here for the Missouri POST information:

http://www.dps.mo.gov/POST/Main/commission2.htm

Here is a list of the academies in Missouri:

http://www.dps.mo.gov/POST/Main/AprProvList.htm

This should tell you everything you need to know on how to become a police officer in Missouri.

Good luck!!