How to Become a Police Officer in Georgia

Who can apply

• You must be at least 18 years old (O.C.G.A. 35-8-8).
• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You need a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent.
• You cannot have a conviction for any crime punishable by imprisonment in a state or federal prison, or enough misdemeanors to show a pattern of disregard for the law.
• You must pass GBI and FBI fingerprint checks and a background investigation showing good moral character.
• A licensed physician must find you free of any physical, emotional or mental condition that could affect your work. POST's application also requires psychological evaluation results.
• You must pass the POST academy entrance exam before the basic course, unless you hold a degree from a regionally accredited college.
• You must pass the Physical Agility Test (a timed obstacle course, 2 minutes 6 seconds or less) within 30 days of the academy start date.

Step by step

1. Get hired by a Georgia law enforcement agency, or apply as a pre-service candidate through a POST-certified regional academy.
2. Pass an approved entrance exam at the POST minimum scores (for example Accuplacer Next Generation reading 224 and writing 236, or ACT reading 14 and English 13), unless you have a qualifying college degree.
3. Complete a physical exam, psychological evaluation, fingerprints and background check.
4. Your agency or academy helps you file the certification application in the POST Data Gateway with proof of age, citizenship and education, exam results and the other required documents. Submit it at least 10 days before the course starts. An approved application is valid for 18 months.
5. Pass the Physical Agility Test within 30 days of the academy start date (two attempts allowed).
6. Complete the Basic Law Enforcement Training Course (809-hour 2025 curriculum), scoring at least 70% on each written exam and passing all performance exams.
7. POST issues your certification in the POST Data Gateway once the academy reports your course completion.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Every candidate must complete the state-mandated Basic Law Enforcement Training Course before appointment and before using arrest powers. POST's current curriculum (2025 edition) is 809 hours, including 110 hours of firearms, 64 hours of defensive tactics, 58 hours of emergency vehicle operations, 60 hours of physical training, 40 hours of officer survival and 16 hours of ALERRT. Written exams require at least 70% (80% for some topics such as field sobriety and speed detection), and performance exams are pass/fail with limited retests.

Exam: Before the basic course you must pass a POST-approved academy entrance exam (O.C.G.A. 35-8-8). POST accepts Accuplacer, ASSET, Compass, SAT, ACT or CPE scores at set minimums; a degree from a regionally accredited college counts as meeting this requirement. You must also pass the Physical Agility Test, a timed nine-task obstacle course, in 2:06 or less, with at most two attempts per course offering. In the academy you need at least 70% on each written exam.

What it costs in Georgia

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

An approved application is valid for 18 months; the Physical Agility Test must be passed within 30 days of the academy start.

Keeping your certification

Renewal: Certification is valid indefinitely unless suspended or revoked; POST ended four-year recertification on January 1, 2022. Every employed peace officer must complete 20 hours of POST-approved training each calendar year, including firearms requalification, 1 hour on use of deadly force, 1 hour of de-escalation, 2 hours of community policing, 1 hour of gang awareness and 1 hour of human trafficking. Missing it means automatic loss of arrest powers on January 1 and emergency suspension of your certification if the training is not on record by January 30.

Good to know in Georgia

Officers from other states, federal and military: Through Equivalency of Training (EOT), out-of-state officers with valid certification, FLETC uniformed police graduates, U.S. military police (Army, Air Force, Marines) and DOD Uniformed Police Training Program graduates can skip the full academy. You must pass 16 hours of Georgia criminal law, traffic law and Governor's Initiative training (by Zoom) and Georgia's firearms qualification course. POST charges no EOT fee.

Arrest powers: No one may perform peace officer duties involving the power of arrest until the basic training course is successfully completed.

Expired certifications before 2022: If your certification expired before January 1, 2022, you must complete legal update, use of force, de-escalation, community-oriented policing and firearms requalification courses to remove the expired status.

Changing agencies or academies: You may attend the basic course only with the approved application from the agency or academy that attested it. If you change agencies or academies, you must complete a new application.

First-year training exemption: Officers who complete the basic course are excused from the 20-hour annual training requirement for the calendar year in which they finish it.

Sources

• Georgia POST - Basic Certifications
• Georgia POST - FAQ
• Georgia POST - Annual Training Requirements
• Georgia POST - Equivalency of Training (EOT)
• Georgia POST - Fee Schedule
• Georgia POST - POST Act (O.C.G.A. 35-8-8, 35-8-9, 35-8-21)
• Georgia POST - 2025 Basic Law Enforcement Training Course Curriculum (809 hours)
• Georgia POST - Uniform Law Enforcement Academy Regulations 2026