How to Become a Police Officer in Wisconsin

Who can apply

• You must be at least 18 years old.
• You must have a high school diploma or equivalent and a valid driver's license.
• Police officers and deputy sheriffs must be U.S. citizens (Wis. Stat. 66.0501(2)).
• You must have no unpardoned felony convictions (or offenses punishable as a felony in Wisconsin), and no convictions for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence or domestic abuse.
• You must be of good character, shown by fingerprint records checks and an employer background investigation, and pass an oral interview with the employing agency.
• You must be free of any physical, emotional or mental condition that might affect your duties, confirmed by a Wisconsin-licensed physician, and pass a pre-employment drug test.
• College: self-sponsored academy students need 40 college credits to enroll. Agency-sponsored officers must have 60 college credits (or an associate degree) within their first five years of employment. The board may waive up to 30 credits for qualifying experience.

Step by step

1. Meet the college-credit requirement for your path (40 credits to self-sponsor, or get hired by an agency that sponsors you).
2. Pass the entry Physical Readiness Test (PRT) within 180 days before starting academy coursework.
3. Enroll in and complete the 720-hour LESB-approved law enforcement academy at a technical college or an agency academy.
4. Get employed by a Wisconsin law enforcement agency, which submits your hiring documentation (background, medical, drug test, interview) to the Training and Standards Bureau.
5. The LESB grants certification at one of its quarterly meetings (March, June, September, December).

Training and exam

Training: All Wisconsin law enforcement academies use the same 720-hour LESB-approved curriculum. Academies are at Wisconsin technical colleges, plus agency academies run by the Dane County Sheriff, DNR, Madison Police, Milwaukee County Sheriff, Milwaukee Police and Wisconsin State Patrol. Trainees need at least 70 percent on written exams in all subjects, and must show competency in skills subjects to certified instructors. You must finish preparatory training within your original probationary period. A full-time officer may serve at most 2 years in total on probation without completing it (original probation plus up to a 1-year extension); part-time officers must finish within 3 years.

Exam: Before academy coursework, you must pass the entry Physical Readiness Test given by an LESB-certified academy or your employing agency, within 180 days. During the academy you need at least 70 percent on written exams in each subject. Officers from other states take a reciprocity exam instead of the academy.

What it costs in Wisconsin

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

The entry PRT must be passed within 180 days before the academy. LESB grants certifications at quarterly meetings in March, June, September and December.

Keeping your certification

Renewal: Certified officers must stay employed in a sworn position and complete at least 24 hours of recertification training each state fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). Handgun qualification is required every year and vehicle pursuit training every two years.

Good to know in Wisconsin

Officers from other states: You may qualify for the reciprocity exam if you completed basic law enforcement training in another state (or military/federal training) similar to Wisconsin's, worked full-time as a fully empowered certified officer (or military police) for at least one year after the academy, and still work in law enforcement or left voluntarily with a good record less than three years ago. You must also meet Chapter LES 2 hiring standards.

Time limits to get hired: If you held a full-time sworn job for at least one year, you have three years after leaving to regain sworn employment. Otherwise you have three years from finishing the academy. Miss those windows and you must repeat the entire academy.

Drug test: Applicants must pass a urine drug test for amphetamines, cannabis, opiates, cocaine and PCP. Failing to appear or refusing the test leads to denial of certification.

Losing certification: The LESB can decertify an officer for failing to stay employed as a sworn officer, missing annual recertification training, falsifying information, a felony or domestic abuse conviction, failing to pay court-ordered child or spousal support, or not earning an associate degree or 60 college credits within the first 5 years of employment.

Sources

• WILENET - Officer Training, Employment, and Reciprocity
• Wisconsin Law Enforcement Hiring and Training Factsheet (2026)
• Wis. Admin. Code ch. LES 2 - Recruit qualifications and drug testing
• Wis. Admin. Code ch. LES 3 - Training standards