How to Become a Police Officer in Georgia

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Peace Officer. If you are employed by a law enforcement agency, contact your supervisor concerning certification. If you are a civilian interested in becoming a Certified Peace Officer, please read this page carefully.

Students attending a police academy who are not employed by a law enforcement agency are referred to as "Pre-Service Candidates". There are several steps that Pre-Service Candidates must take before being accepted into a police academy to become certified as a Peace Officer in the state of Georgia. The certification process is regulated by the Georgia Peace Officer's Standards and Training Council (POST). The basic law enforcement certification course is an intense and stressful eleven-week training course. The course is taught by the staff of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) headquartered in Forsyth, Georgia. There are six satellite training facilities located throughout the state to serve our customers. Click here for information (location and phone number) on the satellite facilities. If you are interested in becoming a Peace Officer, please call the facility that would best suit your needs before beginning this process.

§ Official Code of Georgia Minimum Qualifications
    35-8-8. Qualification for Peace Officers

1. Any person employed or certified as a Peace Officer shall:
1. Be at least 18 years of age;
2. Be a citizen of the United States;
3. Have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent;
4. Not have been convicted by any state or by the federal government of any crime the punishment for which could have been imprisonment in the federal or state prison or institution nor have been convicted of sufficient misdemeanors to establish a pattern of disregard for the law, provided that, for purposes of this paragraph, violations of traffic laws and other offenses involving the operation of motor vehicles when the applicant has received a pardon shall not be considered;
5. Be fingerprinted for the purpose of conducting a fingerprint based search at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine the existence of any criminal record;
6. Possess good moral character as determined by investigation under procedure established by the council;
7. Be found, after examination by a licensed physician or surgeon, to be free from any physical, emotional or mental conditions which might adversely affect his or her exercising the powers or duties of a Peace Officer; and
8. Successfully complete a job related academy entrance examination provided for and administered by the council in conformity with state and federal law. Such examination shall be administered prior to entrance to the basic course provided for in Code Sections 35-8-9 and 35-8-11. The council may change or modify such examination and shall establish the criteria for determining satisfactory performance on such examination. Peace Officers who do not perform satisfactorily on the examination shall be ineligible to retake such examination for a period of six months after an unsuccessful attempt. The provisions of this paragraph establish only the minimum requirements of academy entrance examinations for Peace Officer candidates in this state. Each law enforcement unit is encouraged to provide such additional requirements and any pre-employment examination as it deems necessary and appropriate.
2. Any person authorized to attend the basic training course prior to employment as a Peace Officer shall meet the requirements of this Code section.

1. Qualifications of Georgia Law to become a Peace Officer

   If you meet the above minimum requirements, you may be eligible to attend a certification course.

2. Paragraph 8 above requires an entrance exam.

   In order to take the entrance exam, you must have an Entrance Examination Access Form which can be downloaded from the following link: http://www.gapost.org/pdf_file/EEFORM.PDF.

   The ASSET or COMPASS test given at a local Technical College (TCSG) is the official entrance exam required by POST. Click this link to determine the most convenient Technical College site. Contact the TCSG site to determine dates and times the test is offered as well as the cost. The test is offered at different times, and cost varies depending on the site. The test takes approximately two hours to complete, and results will be available immediately. Keep the results to be attached to the application.

3. Background Investigation

   All Peace Officer candidates must undergo a thorough background investigation which includes a drug test. When directed by the academy staff, Pre-Service Candidates should contact Professional Screening and Information (PSI). The current cost for the PSI background investigation for Pre-Service Candidates is $245.00 and is payable online. Contact your academy of choice to obtain the organization code and Chain of Custody form, when applicable, for the drug test. Once completed, the PSI background investigation results will be forwarded to the chosen academy.

4. POST Application

   Once the background through PSI has been completed, the next step is to download a POST "Pre-Service Application for Certification". If this application is not completed correctly, it will delay your admittance to the Basic Training Course. There are several attachments to the application and a requirement for a physical examination. Part of the process requires the candidate to be fingerprinted. The candidate should go to Georgia Applicants Processing Service (GAPS) to be fingerprinted (click this link). Contact your chosen academy for assistance.

5. Interview with the Academy Manager

   After the above steps are complete, contact your chosen academy to schedule an appointment for an interview with the Academy Manager. This should be considered a formal interview, so please dress accordingly. The Academy Manager will determine the candidate's demeanor and suitability to become a certified Peace Officer in the State of Georgia.

6. Submission of POST Application

   If approved by the Academy Manager, the application will be submitted to POST for approval. Upon approval by POST, you will be notified of your acceptance to the course. The POST fee for processing the application is $200.00 and should be in the form of a cashier's check or money order only.

7. Costs

   The current tuition rate for Pre-Service Candidates is $3093.00 and is payable on the first day of class.

   Each academy has a list of equipment that will need to be purchased which is in addition to the tuition. A copy of the equipment needed may be obtained by going to the individual academy website (click above link for academy information).