Law Enforcement in The United States - Entry Qualifications

Entry Qualifications

Nearly all U.S. states and the federal government have by law adopted minimum-standard standardized training requirements for all officers with powers of arrest within the state. Many standards apply to in-service training as well as entry-level training, particularly in the use of firearms, with periodic re-certification required. These standards often comply with standards promoted by the US Department of Justice. These standards typically require a thorough background check that potential police recruits:

• Be a United States citizen (waived in certain agencies if the applicant is a lawful resident).
• Must have a high school diploma or a G.E.D. and if necessary a college degree or served in the United States military without a dishonorable discharge;
• Be in good physical and psychological condition;
• Maintain a clean criminal record without either serious or repeated misdemeanor or any felony convictions;
• Must have a valid driver's license with a clean driving record and that is not currently or has a history of being suspended or revoked;
• Be of high moral character;
• Not have a history of prior narcotic or repeated marijuana use or alcoholism;
• Not have a history of ethical, professional, prior employment, motor vehicle, or financial improprieties;
• Not have a history of domestic violence or mental illness;
• Not to pose a safety and security risk;
• Be legally eligible to own and carry a firearm.

Repeated interviews, written tests, medical examinations, physical fitness tests, comprehensive background investigations, fingerprinting, drug testing, a police oral board interview, a polygraph examination and consultation with a psychologist are common practices used to review the suitability of candidates. Recruiting in most departments is competitive, with more suitable and desirable candidates accepted over lesser ones, and failure to meet some minimum standards disqualifying a candidate entirely. Police oral boards are the most subjective part of the process and often disqualifies the biggest portion of qualified candidates. Departments maintain records of past applicants under review, and refer to them in the case of either reapplication or requests from other agencies.

Despite these safeguards, some departments have at times relaxed hiring and staffing policies, sometimes in violation of the law, most often in the cases of local departments and federally funded drug task forces facing staffing shortages, attrition, and needs to quickly fill positions. This has included at times the fielding (and sometimes the arming) of uncertified officers (who may be working temporarily in what is supposed to be a provisional limited-duty status prior to certification) and the hiring of itinerant "gypsy cops", who may have histories of poor performance or misconduct in other departments.

Several serious cases of police misconduct such as the Chicago Police Department's torture of felony suspects between 1972-1991 by and under Jon Burge, LAPD's 1991 beating of Rodney King and late-1990s LAPD Rampart Scandal, the NYPD's 1970s fatal shootings of Clifford Glover (1973) and Randolph Evans (1976), the 1980s chokeholds, shootings and stun gun tortures of Mark Davidson (106th Precinct), Michael Stewart, Eleanor Bumpers and Edmund Perry, the 1990s torture of Abner Louima and shooting of Amadou Diallo, the 2000s shootings and record-publicizing of Patrick Dorismond, and Sean Bell, Philadelphia Police Department's torture of suspects in the 1970s to improve then-mayor Frank Rizzo's reputation and Torrington, Connecticut's Tracey Thurman incident all raised questions surrounding the screening of potential recruits.