How to Become a Police Officer in Delaware

Who can apply

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must be at least 21 to be a full-time officer (18 for a seasonal officer).
• You need a diploma from a state-accredited high school or an equivalency diploma.
• You must hold a valid driver's license.
• You cannot have a felony or misdemeanor conviction that bars you from possessing a weapon. Other convictions, or a past decertification anywhere, can also be grounds for rejection.
• A bad conduct or dishonorable military discharge disqualifies you.
• You must pass a physical exam by a licensed physician (paid by the agency), including vision in each eye of no worse than 20/200, corrected to 20/20, red-green-amber color vision and normal hearing in each ear.
• You must pass a drug screen, a validated psychological test plus an in-person evaluation by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, a background investigation, a fingerprint check, and a validated written job-related exam. Your weight must be in proportion to height and build or meet Cooper Institute body fat standards.

Step by step

1. Apply to a Delaware police agency and pass its written exam, background investigation, interview, fingerprint check, medical exam, psychological evaluation and drug screen.
2. Meet the physical ability standards of the academy you will attend.
3. Complete the 584-hour Police Basic Training Course at a Commission-approved academy. POST's academy page currently lists four: the Delaware State Police Training Academy, Dover Police Department Academy, New Castle County Police Academy and Wilmington Police Department Academy.
4. Pass the Commission's standardized competency exam with at least 70% on each section.
5. Receive certification. By law, you cannot be appointed as a police officer until you complete the required training at an approved school.

Training and exam

Training: Delaware's mandatory basic curriculum is 584 hours, approved by the Commission and required for every non-seasonal police appointment. It must be taught by certified instructors at a Commission-approved academy. POST currently lists four: the Delaware State Police, Dover Police, New Castle County Police and Wilmington Police academies. Courses include accident investigation (24 hours), ALERRT active-threat training (16 hours) and criminal investigation (44 hours). State law also requires training on mental illness and disability and a victim-centered, trauma-informed course on sexual assault.

Exam: All applicants must pass a Commission-approved standardized competency exam before certification. It has 100 multiple-choice and true/false questions in four sections of general law enforcement knowledge, and it is open book (Delaware Motor Vehicle and Criminal Codes). You need at least 70% on each section. If you fail a section you retake only that section, using a different version of the exam. If you have not passed after three attempts, the Administrator decides the next step. Failing means you cannot be certified with police powers in Delaware. Before hiring, you must also pass a validated written job-related exam.

What it costs in Delaware

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

Keeping your certification

Renewal: Each certified officer must complete 16 hours of in-service career-related training every year and recertify in CPR, AED and First Responder. Officers must pass at least three handgun qualification shoots per calendar year (one in low light) with an 80% average. Patrol and sex-crimes officers need 2 hours of sexual assault training every 4 years, and all officers need 1 hour every 3 years on child abuse, exploitation and domestic violence.

Good to know in Delaware

Officers from other states: The Commission may waive the academy for out-of-state officers who completed equivalent training and any Delaware-specific training the Administrator requires. The chief must apply before appointment. You must attend the full academy if you have not worked full-time in law enforcement in the past five years, or if you would need more than 40% of Delaware's minimum training hours.

Returning to policing: When an officer leaves an agency, certification goes inactive. Away less than 12 months: complete missed in-service training. Away 12 to 36 months: repeat the medical, psychological, criminal history and background checks plus required training and firearms. Away 36 to 60 months: the same checks plus a basic firearms certification course and academy courses in criminal procedure, criminal law and traffic law. Away more than 60 months: the Administrator sets the requirements after reviewing your training history, with Commission approval.

Name change: The Council on Police Training is now the Police Officer Standards and Training Commission (Title 11, Chapter 84 of the Delaware Code). Some regulations still use the old name.

In-service change in 2027: Under an amendment to 11 Del. C. 8404 effective February 20, 2027, the Commission's required continuing training for officers must also include training on the Juvenile Civil Citation Offender Program.

Sources

• Delaware POST - About
• Delaware Code Title 11, Chapter 84 - Police Officer Standards and Training Commission
• 1 Del. Admin. Code 801-3.0 - Minimum Standards for Initial Certification (Cornell LII)
• 1 Del. Admin. Code 801-5.0 - Minimum Standards for Training (Cornell LII)
• 1 Del. Admin. Code 801-8.0 - Re-activation Requirements (Cornell LII)
• 1 Del. Admin. Code 801-12.0 - Firearms Qualification (Cornell LII)
• 1 Del. Admin. Code 801-15.0 - Basic Curriculum (Cornell LII)
• 1 Del. Admin. Code 801-22.0 - Recurring Training (Cornell LII)
• 1 Del. Admin. Code 801-23.0 - Standardized Competency Examination (Cornell LII)
• Delaware POST: Delaware Police Academies