How to Become a Police Officer in Louisiana

Who can apply

• You must be employed by a Louisiana law enforcement agency (police department, sheriff's office, State Police or other public agency). POST's published rules cover training and certification; hiring standards such as age and education come from your agency or its civil service system.
• You must be physically able to complete every part of basic training, including physical training, firearms and defensive tactics. POST will not certify someone who cannot.
• A POST certification is revoked for a conviction of malfeasance in office or of any offense that takes away your right to carry a firearm. A felony or domestic abuse battery conviction can also lead to revocation.

Step by step

1. Get hired by a Louisiana law enforcement agency.
2. Attend a POST-accredited academy (there are about 30, run by sheriffs' offices, police departments, State Police and others) and complete the Level 1 Basic Law Enforcement Peace Officer course of at least 496 hours.
3. Score at least 70 percent on each block of instruction, keep absences under 10 percent, and score at least 80 percent on the POST firearms qualification.
4. Pass the statewide POST certification exam with at least 70 percent.
5. Complete the training and exam within one calendar year of your first day as a full-time officer (three years for part-time and reserve officers hired on or after January 1, 2022). POST then issues your Level 1 certification.

Training and exam

Training: Level 1 POST certification (Basic Law Enforcement Peace Officer) requires a training course of at least 496 hours at a POST-accredited academy, plus firearms qualification. You must pass each block of instruction with at least 70 percent and the firearms qualification with at least 80 percent, and absences cannot exceed 10 percent of total hours or of any block. Level 2 (249 hours) and Level 3 (92 hours) are limited to correctional duties.

Exam: You must pass the POST statewide written examination for your certification level with at least 70 percent. You have 90 minutes, and oral testing is not allowed. If you fail, your agency head can request one retest, given 15 to 30 working days later. If you fail the retest, you must complete another full basic training course. Full-time officers must pass within one calendar year of hire.

What it costs in Louisiana

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

Full-time officers have one calendar year from hire to finish the 496-hour academy and pass the POST exam (two years in villages of 1,000 or fewer; three years for part-time and reserve officers).

Keeping your certification

Renewal: Every POST Level 1 and Level 2 certified officer must complete at least 20 hours of in-service training each calendar year, starting the first year after certification: 8 hours of firearms, 4 hours of officer survival, 2 hours of legal updates and 6 hours of electives, plus annual POST firearms qualification. If you miss it, your certification is suspended for 90 days to catch up; after that it becomes invalid and you must take a POST refresher course at an accredited academy.

Good to know in Louisiana

Pre-academy firearms training: If you will work as a commissioned peace officer before attending a POST academy, you must complete a POST pre-academy firearms training program within 30 days of your employment date.

One-year deadline: A full-time officer who has not completed training and passed the POST exam within one calendar year of hire may not exercise peace officer authority, though they may do administrative work. Changing to another Louisiana agency does not restart the clock. Full-time officers in villages of 1,000 or fewer people have two years.

Officers from other states: You must be a full-time officer (not part-time, reserve or auxiliary). Present a valid out-of-state POST certificate, then complete selected blocks of a POST Basic Peace Officer class at a Louisiana academy (Legal Aspects, Firearms, Orientation, Active Shooter, Officer Survival, Use of Force, First Aid/CPR, and parts of three other blocks), pass an academy firearms qualification, and pass the statewide POST exam with 70 percent or better.

Military police: Military police hired after July 1, 2025 may qualify through the POST Military Police Officer Course if they completed military police basic training, served 2 to 5 years as military police, and were honorably discharged. They take selected academy blocks and must pass the POST exam with 70 percent.

Gaps in service: Certification is kept for 5 years after leaving if you served at least 2 continuous years. A Level 1 officer out for more than 5 years must retake selected academy blocks, requalify with firearms and pass the POST exam again. Academy graduates who are not hired keep their POST qualification status for 2 years.

Sources

• LCLE - POST (minimum training requirements, certification levels, out-of-state transfers)
• LCLE - POST In-Service Training Requirements
• LCLE - POST Training Academies
• La. Admin. Code tit. 22, III-4703 - Basic Certification (Cornell LII)
• La. R.S. 40:2405 - Peace officer training requirements