How to Become a Police Officer in Arkansas

Who can apply

• You must be a U.S. citizen (or a nonimmigrant admitted under the Compact of Free Association with the Marshall Islands).
• You must be at least 21. An agency may hire you at 20 to attend the basic academy, but you cannot work as an officer until you turn 21. CLEST has no maximum age.
• You need a high school diploma or GED. A transcript showing at least 12 college credit hours with a C average also counts. Homeschool diplomas count only if the Commission approves.
• You cannot have a felony record. A pardon or expungement does not remove a felony record for this rule.
• You cannot have a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.
• You must pass a fingerprint-based state and FBI records check, a background investigation and a personal interview with the department head or a representative.
• You must pass a medical exam by a licensed physician and a psychological evaluation (interview plus tests such as the MMPI) by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist who recommends you for hire.
• You must hold a valid driver's license.

Step by step

1. Get hired by an Arkansas law enforcement agency. Academy attendance is limited to people employed by an agency, except veterans accepted into the Veterans to Law Enforcement Program.
2. Your agency completes the minimum-standards checks: fingerprints, background investigation, interview, medical exam and psychological evaluation (the medical and psych exams come after a conditional job offer).
3. Pass a CLEST firearms qualification and review department policies before carrying a firearm on duty.
4. Complete the Basic Police Training Course (at least 520 hours; CLEST describes it as 13 weeks) within nine months of your hire date.
5. Pass every academic block with at least 70% and the firearms course with at least 80%.
6. Complete at least 12 months of probation with your agency.
7. CLEST issues your law enforcement certification after probation.

Training and exam

Training: Full-time officers must complete a Commission-approved Basic Police Training Course of at least 520 hours. CLEST's FAQ describes it as 13 weeks. You must finish it within nine months of your first hire date; the Commission can grant a three-month extension (12 months total) if the request arrives before the nine months end. Changing your officer status does not restart the clock. Part-time, specialized and auxiliary officers need at least 110 hours of approved training including firearms qualification.

Exam: Arkansas has no separate state licensing exam for new recruits. You must score at least 70% on every academy exam and each academic block and pass the Commission-approved firearms course with 80%. CLEST says a student who fails an exam may retake it, and failing the retest means dismissal from the academy. Failing or being expelled from the course makes you ineligible to work as an officer or train again for 24 months. Former officers separated 7 to 10 years may instead take a 250-question comprehensive exam (70% to pass, two attempts) and then the refresher course.

What it costs in Arkansas

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

How long it takes

Academy within nine months of hire (up to 12 with an approved extension); certification after at least 12 months of probation.

Keeping your certification

Renewal: To stay employed, every officer, including auxiliary officers, must complete at least 24 hours of CLEST-approved training each year. The 24 hours must include firearms qualification, duty to intervene training and 4 hours of racial profiling training.

Good to know in Arkansas

Nine-month deadline: If you do not finish the required academy within nine months of hire (plus any extension), you cannot stay on as an officer and can be rehired only after 24 months away from law enforcement. A second failure makes you permanently ineligible for certification.

Officers from other states, federal and military: CLEST can accept training from other states, federal agencies or military police if it meets Arkansas standards. Full-time officers hired after training in another state, a federal agency or military police must take the refresher course, and CLEST may require other training to bring you up to current standards. Each request is reviewed case by case.

Returning Arkansas officers: Away less than 3 years: no extra training. 3 to 7 years: 120-hour refresher course. 7 to 10 years: option to take the challenge exam, then the refresher. 10 years or more: the full academy again.

Veterans to Law Enforcement Program: Veterans with at least six months of active duty within the 10 years before applying, who meet officer minimum standards, can attend the basic academy without first being hired by an agency. Graduates must start work as a full-time or part-time officer within three years of finishing the course, or the training is no longer valid.

Apply for your certificate: No later than 90 days after your probation ends, you must apply to CLEST for your certificate. If the application is denied, you can no longer serve as a law enforcement officer.

Sources

• Arkansas DPS - CLEST Standards FAQs
• CLEST Rules (015.10.21 Ark. Code R. 001, Cornell LII) - Rules 1002, 1003, 1005, 1008