How to Become a Police Officer in Kansas

Who can apply

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must be at least 21 years old.
• You need a high school diploma (accredited or qualifying nonaccredited private school) or its equivalent as defined by the Commission.
• You cannot have a conviction for any crime that would be a felony in Kansas, a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, or a misdemeanor the Commission finds reflects on honesty, trustworthiness or integrity. Expunged convictions, and diversions for felonies entered on or after July 1, 1995, still count.
• You must be fingerprinted and checked against local, state and national records.
• You must be of good moral character and pass a Commission-approved psychological assessment.
• You must be free of any physical or mental condition that would keep you from safely doing the job.
• You must be employed by a Kansas law enforcement agency. Kansas does not allow self-sponsored academy admission.

Step by step

1. Get hired by a Kansas police department, sheriff's office or other law enforcement agency.
2. Your agency head certifies to KLETC and the Commission that you meet the minimum requirements, and you receive a one-year provisional certificate.
3. Complete the full-time basic training course at KLETC near Hutchinson or at a certified agency academy. KLETC's course is 14 weeks and 571 hours.
4. While enrolled in basic training you may not work as an officer, including weekends, except when KLETC is officially closed.
5. Finish before your one-year provisional certificate expires. The Commission then issues full-time certification.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Full-time officers must complete an accredited full-time basic course at KLETC or a certified state or local training school. KLETC's Basic Training Program is a 14-week academy with 571 hours of classroom and hands-on instruction. Part-time officers take a separate part-time basic course. KLETC runs many class starts each year.

Exam: Basic training includes tests set by KLETC. Out-of-state officers using reciprocity, and Kansas officers returning after more than 5 years away, must pass a KLETC written exam on law enforcement procedures, law and tactics with at least 70 percent, then qualify with their duty handgun at 70 percent or better. From October 1, 2026, reciprocity officers get only one attempt at the written exam; failing means enrolling in the next basic training course.

Other costs to budget for

• No municipal, county or state agency pays KLETC tuition or room and board for its officers during mandated basic training at KLETC. Costs at agency-run satellite academies are not stated.

How long it takes

You have one year on a provisional certificate to complete basic training (the Commission may extend it). The KLETC academy itself is about 14 weeks.

Keeping your certification

Renewal: Starting the second year after certification, full-time officers must complete 40 hours of continuing law enforcement education every year. Missing it can lead to suspension of your certificate until the training is done.

Good to know in Kansas

Provisional certificate: A newly hired officer can work on a one-year provisional certificate while getting basic training. If it expires or is revoked, you cannot get another one for one year. Being dismissed from basic training revokes it.

Officers from other states: Out-of-state certified officers whose training meets or exceeds Kansas requirements may get conditional reciprocity. You must be employed by a Kansas agency first, provide your training transcript and curriculum, and a letter from your state's POST showing no discipline and no more than 5 years out of law enforcement. From February 1, 2026, you also need a psychological exam from the past 12 months. You study about 35 to 40 hours of online material, then pass the written exam and a firearms qualification.

Returning after 5+ years: Kansas officers out of service for more than 5 years must, within one year of re-employment, pass the KLETC challenge exam and handgun qualification, complete basic training again, or get a waiver from the Director of Police Training.

Sources

• K.S.A. 74-5605 - Qualifications of applicant for certification
• K.S.A. 74-5607a - Certification; annual training; provisional certificate
• K.S.A. 74-5608a - Certification of persons trained in other jurisdictions
• KLETC - Basic Training
• KLETC - Basic Training Program (eligibility, schedule)
• KLETC - Reciprocity Certification Program
• KLETC - Challenge Program
• KLETC - About KLETC