About Police Officer Training

If you are thinking of becoming a police officer, it is very likely that you are wondering what type of training you might be put through to show that you are in fact qualified to serve and protect your community. Police officer training can be difficult, but there are a few tips that can help you prepare.

Exercise

It may seem obvious, but police officers need to be in shape. Exercise should become a regular part of your routine if you wish to excel in police officer training. It can be difficult to start an exercise regimen if you are unused to physical activity, but it will help to find the time of day that is best for you to exercise. Many people are accustomed to early morning workouts, but everyone is different. But remember, a good exercise regimen isn’t all about working out. You must also get proper rest. Muscle grows more easily when you sleep a minimum of eight hours a night.

What Is Police Training?

Potential police officers undergo a specialized training program that teaches recruits to effectively perform as a police officer. This training can involve many things, which vary from department to department, though you will commonly find that any police training program has the following:

• A physical training program- to determine an applicant’s physical fitness
• Ethical training- to determine if an applicant has the ethical attitude to be a police officer
• Aptitude training- to see if an applicant is mentally prepared for the duties required of an officer
• Procedural training- to make sure applicants can handle to day to day of being a police officer

Applicants must be in excellent physical condition as being a police officer is a demanding job, physically. They must also demonstrate intelligence and strong ethics, since law enforcement situations often require quick decisions which must be ethically correct. For applicants enrolled in a police academy, training can be as much on the streets as in the classroom, since much of a student’s education and training is tested on the job in real life situations.

Applicants can apply for different categories of job; for example, the Seattle police department has three types of hiring categories for officers based on experience: Entry Level, Lateral Candidate or an Exceptional-Entry Candidate. Applying for these different categories requires different levels of experience.

To be accepted into a police academy, most organizations require that applicants are at least 20 years old. They must also be United States citizens who are not convicted felons, and many require a high school diploma (or GED). Some may require an associate's degree, and often non-entry level positions look for applicants with a bachelor’s degree, though it depends on the position.

Many major cities offer programs like the SPD's Community Outreach Program, which conducts a Community Police Academy where participants can ride along with officers and see what policing is like; this may be a good opportunity for people to talk to officers about their careers and see what police training is really like.