If you want to become a peace officer in North Carolina, you probably want to know if you’ve got what it takes. There are strict requirements to enter this competitive profession in the state. The North Carolina Department of Justice oversees rules for the profession in the state through the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Education and Training Standards. This body decides what training standards should be for new and current officers.
Training Requirements For NC Recruits
Training for new officers requires a total of 602 hours of classroom and practical instruction. Once you begin your first job in law enforcement, you’re on probation for your first year on the force. If you don’t complete your basic training within that year, you lose your ability to act as a law enforcement officer in the state.
Entry Requirements
To start, you have to be at least nineteen and one-half years old when you’re accepted into the academy. Unique to North Carolina, there is an upper age limit of thirty-nine years old. To start at a police academy in the state, you also have to meet residency restrictions that require you to live in the state before you start your basic training hours.
Also unique to North Carolina, there are pretty strict rules as to what you have to do in order to be classified as a resident. That usually means you have to call North Carolina home for a continuous period of at least twelve months.
Physical Requirements
You have to have good eyesight in order to be a competent peace officer in the state, because good vision is critical to your ability to observe while on the job. You can wear corrective lenses or contacts as long as they give you at least 20/100 vision. This vision requirement is not as strict as it is in some other states. They also check to make sure that you have good hearing because your ability to hear also affects your ability to observe and react while on the job.
Operator’s License
To work as a North Carolina police officer, you must have a good operator’s license. They check to make sure that you have a valid license and that your license doesn’t have too many black marks on it that indicate poor driving. Eight points on the license is usually the maximum that investigators are willing to overlook. You should have no suspensions or revocations on your license. Major traffic offenses are also problematic for meeting this requirement.
Basic Education
Police officers in North Carolina must be high school graduates and above. A GED usually suffices if you don’t have a diploma. Even though this is the minimum, when you go to apply for jobs, you’re likely competing against people with college degrees and military service. College credits or having served in the military make your employment applications much more competitive.
Criminal History Requirements for NC Police Officers
Expect the investigators to thoroughly look at your criminal record. A felony on your record is an automatic disqualification, even if it was deferred or expunged. You could even have a felony that the state pardoned and it would still be a problem for you.
They look at misdemeanors, and whether you can still pass depends on the nature of the offense. If it involved abuse, such as domestic violence or assault, you likely can’t become a North Carolina police officer. If the offense was alcohol or drug related, that is problematic too. They also check your credit to make sure that you keep your promises to pay your bills.
How to Succeed in Police Academy Training
When you set out to train for the police academy, there are several things that you need to do. You need to get in the best shape of your life. That means you have to be able to run long distances, sprint, and perform feats of strength, such as push ups. You have to learn how to persist, even when you are frustrated. You also have a lot to learn about the law.
One way that new recruits are preparing to enter police recruit training in North Carolina is by reading Prepare For The Police Academy. This book has insider information and tips about what happens in police academy and how you can do your best. If you’re worried about passing the physical testing, there are tips that can help you get in shape.
In the book, you learn how to lawfully conduct a traffic stop so that your arrest stands up in court. Learn what to do when someone flees or resists you. Learn how to properly give Miranda warnings and how to conduct investigations and process a crime scene. Find this book at PrepareForThePoliceAcademy.com, and get the upper hand, today.
County Sheriff and City Police Department in NC
Ahoskie
Albemarle
Andrews
Angier
Apex
Archdale
Asheboro
Asheville
Atlantic Beach
Aulander
Ayden
Badin
Bailey
Bakersville
Banner Elk
Beaufort
Beech Mountain
Belhaven
Belmont
Benson
Bessemer City
Bethel
Beulaville
Biltmore Forest
Biscoe
Black Creek
Black Mountain
Bladenboro
Blowing Rock
Boiling Springs
Boone
Boonville
Brevard
Bridgeton
Broadway
Brookford
Bryson City
Burgaw
Burlington
Burnsville
Butner Public Safety
Candor
Canton
Cape Carteret
Carolina Beach
Carrboro
Carthage
Cary
Caswell Beach
Red Springs [11]
Reidsville
Rhodhiss
Richlands
River Bend
Rich Square
Roanoke Rapids
Robbins
Robersonville
Rockingham
Rockwell
Rocky Mount
Rolesville
Rose Hill
Roseboro
Rowland
Roxboro
Rutherfordton
Saint Pauls
Salisbury
Saluda
Sanford
Scotland Neck
Selma
Shallotte
Sharpsburg
Shelby
Siler City
Simpson
Smithfield
Snow Hill
Southern Pines
Southern Shores
Southport
Sparta
Spencer
Spindale
Spring Hope
Spring Lake
Spruce Pine
Stallings [12]
Stanfield
Stanley
Stantonsburg
Star
Statesville
Stoneville
Sugar Mountain
Sunset Beach
Surf City
Swansboro
Sylva
Tabor City
Tarboro
Taylorsville
Taylortown
Thomasville
Topsail Beach
Trent Woods
Troutman
Troy
Tryon
Valdese
Vanceboro
Vass
Wadesboro
Wagram
Wake Forest
Wallace
Walnut Creek
Warrenton
Warsaw
Washington
Youngsville
Zebulon
Catawba
Chadbourn
Chapel Hill
Cherryville
China Grove
Chocowinity
Claremont
Clayton
Cleveland
Clinton
Clyde
Coats
Columbus
Concord
Conover
Conway
Cooleemee
Cornelius
Cramerton
Creedmoor
Dallas
Davidson
Denton
Dobson
Drexel
Duck
Dunn
Durham
East Spencer
Eden
Edenton
Elizabeth City
Elizabethtown
Elkin
Elon
Emerald Isle
Enfield
Erwin
Fair Bluff
Fairmont
Farmville
Fayetteville
Fletcher
Forest City
Four Oaks
Franklin
Franklinton
Fremont
Fuquay-Varina
Garner
Garysburg
Gastonia
Gibsonville
Goldsboro
Graham
Granite Falls
Granite Quarry
Greenevers
Greensboro
Greenville
Grifton
Grover
Hamlet
Havelock
Haw River
Henderson
Hendersonville
Hertford
Hickory
High Point
Highlands
Hillsborough
Holden Beach
Holly Ridge
Holly Springs
Hope Mills
Hudson
Huntersville
Indian Beach
Jackson
Jacksonville
Jefferson
Jonesville
Kannapolis
Kenansville
Kenly
Kernersville
Kill Devil Hills
King
Kings Mountain
Kinston
Kitty Hawk
Knightdale
Kure Beach
Waxhaw
Waynesville
Weaverville
Weldon
Wendell
West Jefferson
Whispering Pines
Whitakers
Yadkinville
Yanceyville
LaGrange
Lake Lure
Lake Waccamaw
Landis
Laurel Park
Laurinburg
Leland
Red Springs
Reidsville
Rhodhiss
Richlands
River Bend
Rich Square
Roanoke Rapids
Robbins
Robersonville
Rockingham
Rockwell
Rocky Mount
Rolesville
Rose Hill
Roseboro
Rowland
Roxboro
Rutherfordton
Saint Pauls
Salisbury
Saluda
Sanford
Scotland Neck
Selma
Shallotte
Sharpsburg
Shelby
Siler City
Simpson
Smithfield
Snow Hill
Southern Pines
Southern Shores
Southport
Sparta
Spencer
Spindale
Spring Hope
Spring Lake
Spruce Pine
Stallings
Stanfield
Stanley
Stantonsburg
Star
Statesville
Stoneville
Sugar Mountain
Sunset Beach
Surf City
Swansboro
Sylva
Tabor City
Tarboro
Taylorsville
Taylortown
Thomasville
Topsail Beach
Trent Woods
Troutman
Troy
Tryon
Valdese
Vanceboro
Vass
Wadesboro
Wagram
Wake Forest
Wallace
Walnut Creek
Warrenton
Warsaw
Washington
Waxhaw
Waynesville
Weaverville
Weldon
Wendell
West Jefferson
Whispering Pines
Whitakers
Yadkinville
Yanceyville
Youngsville
Zebulon
Lenoir
Liberty
Lilesville
Lillington
Lincolnton
White Lake
Whiteville
Wilkesboro
Williamston
Wilmington
Wilson
Wilson’s Mills
Windsor
Wingate
Winston Salem
Winterville
Winton
Woodfin
Wrightsville Beach
Littleton
Locust
Long View
Louisburg
Lowell
Lucama
Lumberton
Madison
Maiden
Manteo
Marion
Mars Hill
Marshville
Matthews
Maxton [9]
Mayodan
Maysville
Mebane
Micro
Middlesex
Mint Hill
Mocksville
Monroe
Montreat
Mooresville
Morehead City
Morganton Public Safety
Morrisville
Mount Airy
Mount Gilead
Mount Holly
Mount Olive
Murfreesboro
Murphy
Nags Head
Nashville
Navassa
New Bern
Newland
Newport
Newton
Newton Grove
Norlina
North Topsail Beach
North Wilkesboro
Northwest [10]
Norwood
Oakboro
Oak Island
Ocean Isle Beach
Oriental
Oxford
Parkton
Pembroke
Pilot Mountain
Pine Knoll Shores
Pine Level
Pinehurst
Pinetops
Pineville
Pinnacle Special
Pittsboro
Plymouth
Princeton
Raeford
Raleigh
Ramseur
Randleman