How to Become a Police Officer in Connecticut

Who can apply

• You must be at least 21 when appointed as a probationary candidate.
• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You need a diploma from an accredited high school or a state-approved high school equivalency certificate.
• You need a Connecticut driver's license, or another state's license with no suspension of your right to drive in Connecticut.
• You cannot have any felony conviction, any Class A or Class B misdemeanor conviction (or an out-of-state equivalent), or any act that would be perjury or false statement.
• You must pass a validated written test, an oral interview panel, FBI and state fingerprint checks, a background investigation with a polygraph exam (after a conditional offer), a psychological exam and a controlled substance screen.
• You must pass the POSTC entry physical fitness test, scoring at least the Council's minimum on each event, to be appointed and to enter the academy.

Step by step

1. Apply to a Connecticut police department and pass its entry tests. Passing candidates go on an eligibility list.
2. Get hired as a probationary candidate. The academy does not accept private citizens or students who are not employed by a law enforcement agency.
3. Your department completes the pre-employment requirements (written test, interview, fingerprints, background and polygraph, psychological exam, drug screen, medical forms and entry fitness test) and registers you with POSTC within 10 days of appointment.
4. Your chief applies for you to attend the Basic Training Program at the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden or a Council-approved satellite academy. POSTC says the program lasts about 28 weeks.
5. Score 70% or higher in 12 academic subjects and pass 9 practical skill areas.
6. Complete at least 400 hours of supervised field and departmental training.
7. Receive initial POSTC certification, which must happen within one year of your hire date.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Connecticut requires a Council-approved Police Basic Training Program plus a supervised field and departmental training program. About 90% of recruits attend the Connecticut Police Academy in Meriden; six satellite academies run programs under POSTC supervision. POSTC says the academy lasts about 28 weeks, Monday 8 a.m. to Friday 6 p.m. You must pass 12 academic subjects at 70% or higher, 9 practical skill areas, and at least 400 hours of field and departmental training. You must also keep passing physical fitness tests during the academy. More than five days of absence means dismissal.

Exam: Before appointment you must pass a validated written test and an oral interview panel given through the hiring process. In the academy you need 70% or higher in each of 12 academic subjects. You get at most one retest per failed course exam, using a different version, at the instructor's discretion. If no retest is available or you fail it, you must repeat the entire course or be dismissed.

What it costs in Connecticut

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

The academy lasts about 28 weeks; certification must be earned within one year of hire.

Keeping your certification

Renewal: Certification lasts up to three years. To renew, you must stay employed as a police officer and complete review training. The current POSTC review training form (POST-50, rev. 2/2024) lists 60 hours every three years (the statute, C.G.S. 7-294d, sets a 40-hour minimum; the form is POSTC's current requirement): 26 mandatory hours (including 7 hours of police and the law, de-escalation, implicit bias, domestic violence response and human trafficking) and 22 elective hours. It also lists yearly items: 1 hour on body-worn and dashboard cameras, a 2-hour firearms practical and a 1-hour use-of-force policy review, plus a urinalysis that screens for controlled substances including anabolic steroids. If you are missing training, POSTC can refuse to renew and your department may end your employment.

Good to know in Connecticut

Officers from other states: POSTC may grant comparative certification to officers who were fully trained and certified in another state, have not been out of sworn service for more than two years, and can show their training meets Connecticut standards. You may have to take specific courses. Your chief of police must make the request, and a certification subcommittee reviews requests seven times a year.

One-year deadline: You must earn initial certification within one year of your hire date as a probationary candidate, unless the Council grants an extension. While in basic training, you may not have contact with the public unless you are with a certified officer.

State Police: Connecticut State Police troopers train at the State Police Training School, but state law counts sworn State Police members as police officers who must hold and renew POSTC certification. Troopers serving full-time on July 31, 2020 were certified automatically.

Lapsed certification: Your certification lapses if you are not employed by a law enforcement unit for more than two years (unless on leave of absence). When you are rehired you must apply for recertification, which includes a urinalysis drug test with no unprescribed controlled substances.

Sources

• POSTC - Entry, Certification and Renewal Requirements
• DESPP - What is police officer certification and how can officers get certified?
• POSTC - Comparative Certification
• POSTC - Review Training Credit Form POST-50 (rev. 2/2024)
• Conn. Agencies Regs. 7-294e-16 - Entry-level requirements (Cornell LII)
• Conn. Agencies Regs. 7-294e-15 - Attendance and testing in basic training (Cornell LII)
• Conn. Agencies Regs. 7-294e-2 - Lateral and comparative certification (Cornell LII)
• Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 104 (secs. 7-294a, 7-294d, 7-294e)