How to Become a Police Officer in Louisiana

Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lake Charles, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana

Becoming a Police Officer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge police officers have been around since just after the end of the Civil War. Today becoming a Baton Rouge police officer means working alongside approximately 700 distinguished fellow officers, being responsible for the 228,000 citizens and additional guests who visit the 76 square mile city. You will be assigned to one of 50 divisions where you will have the opportunity to make a personal contribution to the protection of life and property with Baton Rouge police jobs.

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Becoming a Police Officer in Lafayette, Louisiana

As a Lafayette, Louisiana police officer you will protect life and property throughout the city. Lafayette’s agriculture, natural gas, petroleum, and medical sectors would not be thriving as they are today if it was not for the stability in the city provided by police officers. Lafayette police jobs are available to dedicated and motivated individuals.

If this sounds like the job for you, then take a look through the application process to find out how to become a cop in Lafayette:

Minimum Requirements
Civil Service Exam
Polygraph Examination
Physical Abilities Testing
Background Investigation
Oral Interview
Health Examinations
Training Academy

Step 1. Meeting Police Officer Requirements in Lafayette

Before you do anything else, the first thing you will need to do is check that you meet the minimum qualifications for becoming a police officer in Lafayette:

No criminal history
Normal body functions that allow you to carry out your duties
Upon hire be willing to establish residency within 30 miles of the Lafayette courthouse
At least 20 years old
High school diploma or GED
U.S. citizen
Driver’s license
Honorable discharge from the military, if applicable

Step 2. Civil Service Exam

Your first real step in the application process is to check with the Office of State Examiner to see when the next entry-level civil service exam will be offered. You may take the exam in any location in Louisiana, but if it is outside the Lafayette region you will need to arrange for the results to be forwarded to the Lafayette PD. There is a study guide offered for this examination, which includes:

A half-hour audio-guided test on following instructions
73 multiple-choice questions to complete in 1.5 hours on:

- Logic
- Noticing details
- Classification
- Prioritization
- Reading comprehension
- Pattern recognition

You can print a civil service test application online. Make sure to fill this out completely and legibly, attaching all requested documents.

Step 3. Polygraph Examination

When your application has been reviewed and determined to be complete, and you have achieved a competitive score on your civil service exam, you will be eligible to continue to the next step in the Lafayette police officer application process: the polygraph examination.

This will begin with a pre-polygraph interview where you will meet with your examiner to go over subject areas and some of your background information. Your polygraph examination will be scheduled shortly after your pre-polygraph interview, and will probe:

Past employment and education history
Previous illegal activities for which you were never caught
Your criminal records
Previous immoral actions

Step 4. Physical Abilities Testing

If everything goes well with your polygraph examination the next task you must complete is the physical abilities testing. This includes:

Push-ups
Sit-ups
Obstacle course
1.5-mile run

You will need to pass these events at a certain basic level that will indicate you have the physical abilities to carry out the job requirements of a Lafayette cop.

Step 5. Background Investigation

Becoming a police officer in Lafayette also means submitting to a thorough background investigation. You will begin this process by filling out a personal history questionnaire that will be checked over by your investigating detective. You will sit down for a background interview with the detective, who will go over a preliminary review of your background questionnaire before he or she begins a records check and conducting interviews. The background detective will verify your minimum employment qualifications and conduct interviews with people who have known or observed you in the past.

Step 6. Oral Interview

At this point you will meet with Lafayette police department officials for a panel interview. Demonstrate your best communication skills and make an effort to answer questions completely and to the satisfaction of your board interviewers.

Step 7. Health Examinations

You will need to complete two health examinations once you reach this step:

Medical Exam: This includes a physical exam, drug test, vision screening for distance, depth perception and color, and a hearing test.
Psychological Evaluation: This will be conducted by a licensed psychiatrist who will evaluate you on your overall mental health and tolerance of stress.

Step 8. Training Academy

Once you have made it through all the previous steps you will eligible to begin your Louisiana Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy. The Lafayette PD will inform you when and where the next class will be held, that will at minimum be 360 hours, to be followed by additional training with the Lafayette PD. Subject areas covered include:

Criminal justice system
Domestic violence
Juvenile justice system
Family issues
Firearms training
Crime scene investigation
Patrol techniques
Report writing

Becoming a Police Officer in Lake Charles, Louisiana

The Lake Charles Police Department has come a long way since its first constable, who was a veteran of the civil war and the town blacksmith. In 1975 the police department hired its first female patrol officers and the department has continued to evolve up to the present day, now focusing on a variety of community-police collaborations.

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Becoming a Police Officer in New Orleans, Louisiana

The militaries of Spain and then France were first responsible for policing New Orleans. This was followed by United States control and an organized street patrol. However due to corruption and other circumstances the police force was ineffective, and in 1820s and 30s neighborhoods established vigilante groups to protect themselves. Things were not made any better when the city was captured during the Civil War, followed by several subsequent riots in which the police force participated.

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Becoming a Police Officer in Shreveport, Louisiana

Shreveport police jobs are available to candidates that can meet the requirements and have the drive to work toward improving this Louisiana community. In Shreveport, police jobs involve working alongside approximately 575 other police officers that collectively respond to about 250,000 calls for service every year.

This guide will provide you with information on how to become a police officer in Shreveport, Louisiana:

Minimum requirements
Civil service exam
Physical fitness test
Applicant interview board
Background investigation
Polygraph examination
Psychological evaluation
Medical examination
Training

Step 1. Meeting Police Officer Requirements in Shreveport

The first step to becoming a police officer in Shreveport is to make sure you can meet the minimum job requirements:

Be of good moral character
Have no felony convictions
Be in good physical and mental health
U.S. citizen
At least 21 years old
Valid driver’s license

Step 2. Civil Service Examination

Because Shreveport police officers are civil servants you will need to take a state civil service exam. You can take the test anywhere in Louisiana and transfer your results to the Shreveport police department. Find out when and where the next tests are scheduled by checking the Office of State Examiner’s online listing. A civil service registration form and a summary of the application process are also available on the Shreveport PD’s website. Additionally there is a study guide offered for the examination, which will evaluate the subjects of:

Reading comprehension
Listening comprehension
Pattern recognition
Logical problem solving
Classification and prioritization

Step 3. Physical Fitness Test

The next part of the application process is to pass a physical fitness test that will be calibrated for you based on your age and gender. The test will be held in three events, with the most stringent requirements, those for males aged 21-29, listed below:

Push-ups: 22 in one minute
Sit-ups: 33 in one minute
1.5-mile run: Completed in 13 minutes and 58 seconds

Have an idea of your schedule for the following week, because if you pass your physical fitness test you will immediately be scheduled for a board interview.

Step 4. Applicant Interview Board

This will be an interview conducted by a board of Shreveport PD officials. Dress and act professionally and answer all questions completely. The board members will be curious to know about your past employment experience as well as your motivations for wanting to become a Shreveport cop.

Step 5. Background Investigation

You will have been given a background questionnaire upon completion of a successful board interview that you must return to begin your background investigation, along with three signed letters of recommendation. Your background investigation will examine all the relevant records to confirm you meet the requirements for a job as a Shreveport police officer and usually takes about two weeks to complete.

Step 6. Polygraph Examination

Your polygraph examination usually takes about two hours to complete and will go over any additional material that needs to be clarified from your background investigation.

Step 7. Psychological Evaluation

This step takes most of the day to complete. You will arrive in the morning to the psychiatrist’s office where you will take a written psychological test. Afterward you will meet with the psychiatrist to discuss the results of the test and conduct further oral analysis.

Step 8. Medical Examination

Your medical examination will be conducted by a licensed physician and include:

Thorough physical exam
Back exam
Vision test
Hearing check
Drug test
Blood test
Tuberculosis test

Step 9. Training

The final step in becoming a fully-certified Shreveport police officer is the completion of your training. This will begin at the Shreveport Police Regional Training Academy for 16 weeks of basic training. Upon graduation you will begin patrolling with an experienced field training officer to complete your final weeks of field training. Topics covered include:

Firearms and non-lethal weapons
Defensive driving
Criminal justice system
Report writing
Legal procedures
Crime scene investigation
Interrogation techniques
Domestic violence
First aid and CPR