There are a variety of Missouri State Trooper jobs available with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Here you’ll find a step-by-step guide on how to become a Missouri State Trooper:
- Application and basic requirements
- Selection Process
- Attend the Academy
Step 1: Fill Out the Application and Meet Basic Requirements
You can apply for a Missouri State Trooper job online here.
Before applying, you must meet the basic requirements of the job. Basic requirements include the following:
- Be at least 21 years of age when graduating from the academy.
- Be a citizen of the United States and a resident of the state of Missouri.
- Be a graduate from high school, or have a GED.
- Have a minimum of 60 college credits or two years of military service or two years of peace officer experience.
- Have no felony convictions, no pending indictments and no misdemeanors in certain areas (not all misdemeanors will disqualify you from the job.)
- Have no tattoos visible on lower arms, head, neck, face or hands.
- Must be willing to relocate to any area under the jurisdiction of the agency.
- Must possess a valid Missouri driver’s license.
- Have ordinary physical strength.
- Pass mental and physical examinations.
- Pass all other tests required by the agency.
- Pass a vision test.
Step 2: Complete the Selection Process
Upon meeting the basic requirements for the position, the agency will review your application and determine whether or not to move on with the selection process within 3-4 weeks upon applying.
Written Examination: You will first be asked to do a written examination, which will measure your ability with the language and your knowledge of basic education and law enforcement standards.
Fitness for Duty Assessment: The physical examination will test your endurance, strength, cardiovascular fitness and agility.
Polygraph Test: The lie-detector test will mainly focus on your background and family life, and general state of mind.
Background Check: Upon successful completion of the above, investigators will then perform a thorough background check of your education, family life, health and other factors.
Background Review and Oral Exam: The agency will then interview you about your past and perform an oral examination to determine whether you are fit to join the academy or not.
Conditional Offer of Employment: If you pass everything else explained above, you will be offered the job and will go through another set of tests to make sure you are ready for the academy. The final tests include a psychological examination, a psychological interview, a medical examination, a vision/ hearing assessment, drug screening and an overall review of all of your application materials and test results.
Final Offer of Employment: Once all of this is done, you will be offered a position to join the academy and begin training for a position with the Missouri State Troopers.
Step 3: Attend Missouri State Highway Patrol Training Academy
The academy requires you to live in a dormitory with other applicants for 25-weeks of intensive training. The classes include law, criminal justice, human behavior and psychology and firearm handling amongst other areas of study.