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State Patrol Trooper/Inspector eligibility requirements

The Law Enforcement Standards Board has established recruitment qualifications required of all applicants prior to commencing employment as a law enforcement officer. Recruitment qualifications are as follows:

Driver's license

Applicants shall possess a valid driver's license or such other valid operator's permit recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as authorizing operation of a motor vehicle in Wisconsin prior to completion of the preparatory training course. The results of a check of the issuing agency's motor vehicle files shall constitute evidence of driver's status.

Age requirement

Applicants shall have attained a minimum age of 18 years. A birth of naturalization certificate shall serve as evidence of applicant's date of birth.

Felony convictions

Applicants shall not have been convicted of any federal felony or of any offense which if committed in Wisconsin could be punished as a felony unless the applicant has been granted an absolute and unconditional pardon.

High school diploma

Applicants shall possess a Wisconsin high school diploma or a diploma issued by an out-of-state high school accredited by an appropriate agency of the state or shall have passed the general education development diploma test or any other test recommended by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction as indicating high school diploma level.

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College credits

An applicant for employment as a law enforcement officer must:

• Possess a two-year associate degree from an accredited college or university; OR
• Have earned at least 60 associate degree level credits or higher. Only colleges and universities that are accredited by an accrediting agency or association that is acknowledged by the United States Secretary of Education are accepted to the Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB) as a source of college credit.

The Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB) may waive a maximum of 30 college level credits. In order for a waiver to be considered, you must have completed one of the following prior learning assessment methods:

• ACE military evaluation program - College credit may be granted for military service school courses and skills if the awarding of credit is recommended in the current edition of the American Council on Education (ACE) publication, a Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services. Refer to the College Credit Waiver Application for additional information.
• Credit by examination (CLEP) - The most widely recognized credit by examination program is the College-Level Examination Program known as CLEP. CLEP examinations cover material taught in courses that most students take as requirements in the first two years of college. Many CLEP examinations are designed to correspond to one-semester courses; some, however, correspond to full-year or two-year courses. Go to the CLEP Web site for more information on CLEP examinations and for testing locations. Refer to the College Credit Waiver Application for additional information.
• Credit for prior learning or advanced standing - Offered by many colleges (including technical colleges) and universities, students complete a portfolio documenting their previous work, life and military experiences that are comparable in content and level with specific courses at the college or university. The portfolio is then reviewed by college or university faculty who determine course and credit equivalents. To locate a portfolio development program, consult the registration offices at colleges and universities in your community. Refer to the College Credit Waiver Application for additional information.
• Credit for completion of preparatory training - Preparatory law enforcement, jail and secure detention officer training courses are technical diploma level courses, unless the training is integrated into an associate degree or bachelor's degree program. Refer to the College Credit Waiver Application for additional information.
• Other prior learning assessment methods - The LESB will consider credit recommendations via other prior learning assessment methods on a case-by-case basis. Examples include: College Board Advanced Placement Examinations, Excelsior College Examinations (ECE) and the American Council on Education Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction. Refer to the College Credit Waiver Application for additional information.

To request a waiver of college credits based on the above learning assessment methods, please download the College Credit Waiver Application and submit it to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for review. Please note requests for waivers are only reviewed four times a year. Therefore, applicants seeking waivers should complete the form and submit to DOJ as soon as possible.

The State Patrol requires that all credits be obtained prior to commencing employment. Therefore applicants who anticipate 60 college credits by the start of the academy ARE eligible to compete in the recruitment process.

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Good character

Applicants shall be in good character as determined from a written report, which would include the results of the following:

• Applicants will be fingerprinted with a search of local, state and national fingerprint records.
• A background investigation.

Physical, emotional or mental conditions

Applicants shall be free from any physical, emotional or mental conditions, which might adversely affect performance of duties as a law enforcement officer. Finalists shall submit to a drug test.

• Applicants will complete a personal medical history, a copy of which is to be submitted to the examining physician.
• The examination shall be by a Wisconsin licensed physician who shall provide a written report on the results of the examination.

Additional physical requirements

In addition to the requirements of the Law Enforcement Standards Board, the Division of State Patrol requires the following physical requirements:

• No more than a 20 decibel hearing loss (uncorrected) in either ear at 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 hertz.
• Minimum uncorrected vision of 20/100 in each eye. Vision must be correctable to 20/20. Weak eye corrected vision can be 20/30, with binocular vision of 20/20.

For more information contact Cathie Cunningham at (608) 266-3425 or the State Patrol Academy at (608) 269-2500 ext. 0.

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Questions about the content of this page:
State Patrol jobs, jobs.statepatrol@dot.state.wi.us
Last modified: June 25, 2008