How to Become a Police Officer in South Carolina

Who can apply

• Be at least 21 years old.
• Have a high school diploma or an equivalency certificate recognized by the SC Department of Education.
• Pass a complete medical exam by a licensed physician, with a medical history.
• No conviction (including guilty or no-contest plea or bond forfeiture) for any offense carrying a sentence of one year or more, or any crime of moral turpitude.
• Hold a valid South Carolina driver's license with no suspension in the past five years for DUI, reckless homicide, involuntary manslaughter or leaving the scene of an accident.
• Pass the employer's background investigation, a favorable local credit check, and SLED and FBI fingerprint checks showing no felony convictions.
• Sign an attestation committing to ethical policing, including the duty to intervene.

Step by step

1. Get hired by an agency that can commission law enforcement officers. The hiring process includes a background investigation, an approved psychological test and a reading comprehension test.
2. Your agency notifies the Academy within three working days of hiring. You must pass a council-approved firearms qualification and work only with a certified officer until you are certified.
3. Register at the Academy with a current physical and TB test, then complete the agency-directed online training (at least 147.5 hours over about four weeks), passing each weekly test with at least 70%. Before attending the Academy, also complete ICS 100c and ICS 700b and SLED's online NCIC test, then pass the cumulative test and Physical Abilities Test (PAT) at the Academy.
4. Attend the Basic Law Enforcement session at the SC Criminal Justice Academy (about eight weeks of training and testing).
5. Become certified as a Class 1-LE officer within one year of your hire date.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Basic Law Enforcement (BLE) training is twelve weeks in total: at least four weeks of Academy-directed online training done through your agency (minimum 147.5 hours), followed by about eight weeks of training and testing at the SC Criminal Justice Academy. Firearms, defensive tactics and traffic proficiencies are taught by certified instructors. Completing it certifies you as a Class 1-LE officer.

Exam: Each one-week block of the agency-directed online training ends with a 50-question written test you must pass with at least 70%. You can retest after at least five working days, with no limit on retakes, but you must still be certified within one year of hire. You then take a 100-question cumulative written test (70% to pass) and the Physical Abilities Test (2 minutes 6 seconds) at the Academy before you can attend the eight-week session. Failing either counts as an Academy failure; you need at least four weeks of agency remediation before retesting, and a second failure bars you for one year. The Academy session includes further written tests, proficiencies and scenarios before certification.

What it costs in South 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

Twelve weeks of training (about four online through the agency and about eight at the Academy). Certification is due within one year of hire.

Keeping your certification

Renewal: A law enforcement certificate expires three years after issue, or when you leave the employing agency. To renew, a Class 1-LE officer needs 40 continuing law enforcement education (CLEE) hours in the three-year period, including at least one legal update course and one domestic violence course each year. The renewal application must reach the Academy at least 45 days before the certificate expires.

Good to know in South Carolina

One-year deadline: An uncertified officer must be certified within one year of employment. After that, they may not exercise arrest powers or be paid as an officer, and no other SC agency may hire them as an officer. The director can grant exceptions for military leave, injury, academy scheduling, or equivalent out-of-state training. Military service in the first year extends the deadline.

Out-of-state and returning officers: Officers certified in good standing in another state, with no break in service over three years, may take the Special Basic program: online videos at the agency, a cumulative exam, and firearms and driving proficiencies. Former SC Class 1 officers out of service one to three years also use Special Basic. A break of less than one year allows recertification at the agency's request; three years or more means meeting all new-officer requirements.

Certification ends when you leave: Certification lapses when you leave active law enforcement duty. A new agency must apply for re-issuance within 15 days after hiring you.

Failing twice: If you fail the cumulative test/PAT, or the tests and proficiencies during the eight-week Academy session, twice, you cannot reapply to the Academy until one year after your second failure.

Sources

• SCCJA - Basic Law Enforcement
• SCCJA - Special Basic
• SCCJA - Pathway to Law Enforcement Class 1 Certification
• S.C. Code Title 23 Chapter 23 (23-23-40, 23-23-60)
• S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 37 - South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy