Hawaii Police Academy Requirements

The Hawaii police academy requirements are intended to set a high standard potential officers. Below are all the requirements and disqualifying factors. Remember that there is a lot of competition for police jobs so it’s best to not just shoot for the minimum requirements.

Age Requirement

A State Trooper Recruit must be at least 20 years of age at the time of application, and 21 years of age upon recruit school graduation, to comply with firearm laws. There is no upper age limit.

Residency and Citizenship Requirement

Applicants must be citizens, national, or permanent resident alien of theUnited States. Non-citizens with unrestricted employment authorization from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may also apply. A valid type Hawaii driver’s license is required by the date of hire.

Educational Requirement

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 Hawaii.

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 Hawaii State Police will automatically disqualify any applicant who does not meet the general requirements as detailed above.  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 Hawaii State Police.
• Criminal arrests/behavior which would not reflect well on the Hawaii State Police.

The core purpose of the Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii State Police Officer.

Applicants are advised that all information provided to the Hawaii 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

The Hawaii police academy requirements for physical readiness are set high. 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.Hawaii’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 theTrainingAcademyand on the State’s Minimum Standards test.  The physical abilities test may include such tasks as:

General Physical Health

Vision:

• Visual acuity must be 20/20 binocular with or without correction.
• Successful long-term soft daily wear contact lens wearers correctable to 20/20 must have worn their contact lenses 6 months or more.
• Loss of color vision is unacceptable.
• Significant decrement in visual field performance (peripheral vision) in either eye is unacceptable.

Hearing:

Pure tone thresholds in the unaided worst ear not worse than 25 dB at 500Hz, 1000Hz, or 2000Hz, and not worse than 35 dB loss at 3000Hzor no greater than 30 dB at any of the first three frequencies and average loss of less than 30 dB for all four frequencies is acceptable.

This is not all-inclusive and is intended only as a general guideline. Each case will be considered on an individual basis, taking into account the unique circumstances.

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