How to Become a Police Officer in North Carolina

Who can apply

• Be a U.S. citizen.
• Be at least 20 years old.
• Be a high school graduate or have the equivalent (such as passing the GED test).
• Be of good moral character.
• Not have committed or been convicted of a felony or a crime punishable by more than two years in prison.
• Not have committed or been convicted of a Class B misdemeanor in the five years before certification, or four or more Class B misdemeanors ever. Four or more Class A misdemeanors disqualify you unless the last one was more than two years before certification, and any combination of four or more Class A or B misdemeanors disqualifies you regardless of date.
• Pass fingerprinting and a records check, a medical exam, a negative drug screen, a psychological screening (valid one year), a background investigation and an employment interview by the agency head or a qualified staff member or panel the agency head chooses.

Step by step

1. Meet the BLET entrance requirements, including a standardized reading test at the tenth-grade level or higher taken within one year before entry, a medical exam by an NC-licensed physician, PA or nurse practitioner, and a criminal record check (with certified court records of any convictions) given to the School Director.
2. Enroll in a Commission-accredited Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) course, usually at a community college. Applicants employed full time by an agency get priority.
3. Complete the 868-hour BLET course, including skills testing.
4. Pass the BLET State Comprehensive Written Examination.
5. Get appointed and sworn by an NC agency within one year of the state exam date.
6. Receive probationary certification and complete a probation period of at least 12 months.
7. Receive General Certification after probation and all training requirements are complete.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) is a Commission-mandated 868-hour course of 39 blocks that takes about 20 weeks. Blocks include firearms, law enforcement driver training, motor vehicle law, arrest, search and seizure/constitutional law, and ethics. It ends with skills testing and a comprehensive written exam. Most agencies add their own field training afterward.

Exam: Trainees must pass the BLET State Comprehensive Written Examination, given online by the Commission within 60 days after the course ends. The pass mark is 70 percent. A score of 60 to 69 percent allows one re-examination within 60 days; scoring below 60 percent or failing the re-exam means repeating BLET. Each BLET topic and skills test also requires 70 percent. After passing, you have one year from the exam date to be appointed and sworn as a North Carolina officer.

What it costs in North Carolina

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

BLET takes about 20 weeks. Probation lasts at least 12 months before General Certification.

Keeping your certification

Renewal: Every certified law enforcement officer must complete 24 credits of Commission-mandated in-service training each calendar year (January 1 to December 31) under 12 NCAC 09E, plus the agency's in-service firearms training and qualification. Failing to complete the annual training results in suspension of certification.

Good to know in North Carolina

Out-of-state and federal officers: You need at least two years of full-time sworn experience, a basic course accredited by your former state, no break in service over three years, and good standing. Request a training evaluation in the NC Justice Training & Certification Portal. You must complete the agency's firearms qualification, the BLET legal blocks and any other identified training, and pass the BLET state exam within your 12-month probation.

Military police: Under G.S. 17C-10.1, the Commission can waive BLET for qualifying current or honorably discharged former military police officers and issue probationary certification. During the one-year probation they must complete the BLET Legal Unit and 24 hours of civil process training and pass the State Comprehensive Examination.

Moving between NC agencies: Officers with probationary or general certification can transfer to another NC agency if they have less than a 12-month break in service.

Report your charges: Within five business days, officers must notify the Standards Division and their agency head in writing of any criminal charge, arrest, guilty or no-contest plea or guilty finding (including DWI and listed traffic offenses), and of any domestic violence protective order or civil no-contact order issued against them. List every past charge on your Personal History Statement; leaving one off can lead to denial or revocation.

Sources

• NCDOJ - Law Enforcement Certification: Applicants
• NCDOJ - Basic Law Enforcement Training
• NC Justice Academy - BLET
• NC Justice Academy - In-Service
• NCDOJ - Training Evaluations for Out of State, Military, and Federal Transfers
• NC General Statutes Chapter 17C
• NC G.S. 17C-10.1 - Military police training waiver
• 12 NCAC 09 - Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards rules (OAH)