Georgia Police Academy Requirements

Georgia police academy requirements are intended to set a high standard potential officers. Below are all the requirements and disqualifying factors. Please be aware that there is a lot of competition for police jobs so it’s best to go beyond the minimum requirements.

Academy Training

Georgia police officer candidates are required to complete the Georgia Basic Law Enforcement Training Course. Regional police academy options include those in Athens,Savannah,Augusta and Dalton. Classes meet five days per week, eight hours per day, which leads to 408 hours of training.

In addition, several counties and locales require the completion of department-level training. For example, in Chatham County, candidates are required to complete an additional 5 weeks of in-service training and 10 weeks of “hands on” training.

Age Requirement

A State Trooper Recruit must be at least 21 years of age at time of employment. There is no upper age limit. Note: The on-line application asks if you are at least 21 years of age, or will be 21 within six months.

Residency and Citizenship Requirement

Applicants are required to be residents of Georgia as well as citizens of the United States of America.

Educational Requirement

Georgia police academy requirements state that applicants must possess a high school diploma or General Equivalency Degree (GED) time of application.  It is not a requirement that the diploma or GED be obtained within Georgia. Correspondence or mail-order high school diplomas are not accepted.

Applicant will be required to take a written/oral examination, psychological test, as well as a polygraph examination.

Automatic Disqualification Factors

Applicants are advised that the Georgia State Police will automatically disqualify any applicant who does not meet the general requirements as detailed below.  In addition, the following information is provided regarding our criteria for automatic disqualification:

• Falsification, omission, or misrepresentation of any information during the completion of the Polygraph Screening Booklet, the Polygraph Examination, the Formal Application for Employment, and any other documents/processes associated with the Cadet Selection Procedures.
• Substance abuse/use within a prescribed time frame and/or that is beyond what is considered experimental by the Georgia State Police.
• Criminal arrests/behavior which would not reflect well on the Georgia State Police.

The core purpose of the Georgia State Police is to seek justice, preserve peace, and improve the quality of life for all.  As such, the Department has established the core values of Honor, Service, Integrity, Respect, Trust, Courage, and Duty, and is seeking applicants who possess these traits and conduct themselves accordingly.  Certain issues within a person’s background have been identified which will result in automatic disqualification, including but not limited to:  criminal conduct (actual arrest and/or admission of behavior whether or not arrested) and substance abuse.

A preliminary determination will be made by the Georgia State Police based upon information supplied; therefore, applicants must be forthright and honest in documenting their conduct.  Be advised that this preliminary determination is not binding as it is made based upon information provided by the applicant only.  Should an applicant continue in the selection process, the conduct will then be discussed and documented with a Georgia State Police Officer.

Applicants are advised that all information provided to the Georgia State Police is to contain no misrepresentation, falsification, omissions, or concealment of material fact and that, upon submission of any official document (on-line or otherwise), applicants swear or affirm that all information provided is true, complete, and correct to the best of their knowledge and belief.  Applicants are further advised that all information provided is subject to later investigation.

Physical Readiness Requirements

Law enforcement officers that maintain a high degree of physical conditioning are less prone to be affected by the stressful conditions of the job, sustain fewer injuries, and utilize less leave time related to illness.Georgia’s police academy physical conditioning program combines strength training and aerobic exercise to help students develop good exercise habits and to improve their fitness level throughout the academy. It is strongly recommended that recruits begin a fitness regimen before beginning academy training.

Physical Readiness Test

The tests and standards have been validated to ensure that an applicant, if selected to an Academy class, will have a reasonable chance of success in attaining a higher standard of Physical Readiness during cadet training. Failure of any one test excludes the applicant from further processing.

Academy physical training requires a great deal of physical strength and stamina.  Both the written test and the physical abilities test are designed to measure an applicant’s ability to perform satisfactorily at the Training Academy and on the State’s Minimum Standards test.  The physical abilities test may include such tasks as:

• 440 yard distance run
• Sit-ups
• Push-ups
• Obstacle Course
• Sit-and-Reach Flexibility Test

Performance Standards

The actual performance requirement for each exercise is based upon norms.  The required performance to pass each exercise is based upon sex and age.  Candidates must meet or exceed minimum performance standards on each of the five exercises in order to pass the Physical Agility Test.

The following table outlines minimum performance standards by sex and age for each of the five exercises.

NOTE:  The eligibility requirements are subject to change at any time.