Washington Police Academy Requirements and Qualifications

here’s plenty of people who wants to become a police officer in Washington and for good reasons! Being a police officer may be dangerous work, but they perform vital services to communities.

It’s a rewarding and exciting occupation. People in law enforcement have the chance to make small differences in the lives of everyone in their community. And this guide will give you an idea of what to expect on your journey of becoming a police officer in the state of Washington.

Also, we suggest to anyone who’s serious about working in law enforcement to visit Prepare For The Police Academy for helpful guides on passing all the exams.

Police Officer Minimum Requirements

Each city has its own set of requirements, while some requirements are shared throughout the entire state. Here are a few for the state of Washington:

• Must Be a citizen of the United States of America
• Must be 21 years of age or older
  A high school diploma is required but a G.E.D. is also accepted.
• Must have a driver’s license
• Must be completely literate and fluent in english
• Must be able to possess a firearm under federal laws
• Must be able to pass physical testing and an extensive background check

Beyond these requirements, having good communication skills is also necessary to become a police officer. You will be expected to communicate verbally with no issues at all.

This is very important because while on patrol, there will be moments when you will have to communicate with many people in various situations including very angry or violent people, young kids, people with mental illnesses and people with disabilities. Another skill that may help applicants to become a well-rounded police officer is being bi-lingual.

Now more than ever there are many people living in Washington that may not speak English very well. Being able to speak other languages may help deal with a particular issue while on patrol.

Police Officer Exams and Interviews

Becoming an officer in the state of Washington can take quite a few weeks. Mainly because of the amount of tests, interviews, and training that’s involved. Written tests cover topics such as general knowledge, spelling, grammar, your ability to multi-task and memory skills. Being physically fit is also required and each applicant must meet certain fitness standards. Applicant’s physical agility will be tested during the interview process. The only way they can advance to the final states of interviews is by passing any and all fitness exams.

And regardless of the city in Washington that the applicant is applying in, there will be one oral interview at a minimum. And this may be the most important part of the initial phase of training.

During this interview, they will ask certain questions to find out about your morals and character. And that’s not all, they will also interview your family and friends to see if what you’re telling them is consistent with what those in your family think of you.

This is why it is so important to be fully prepared before applying to become a police officer in Washington. And that’s also why we recommend Prepare For The Police Academy because they have plenty of helpful guides that will help you every step of the way during the entire training process.

Also, be prepared to take at least one video test. A video test consists of watching a video of various situations that you may be involved with one you become an actual police officer.

They give applicants this video test to see how they would react. Those who react in the wrong way will most likely not be able to continue with training. Then there’s a lie-detector test.

This is given to see just how truthful the applicant is. Throughout the process, there will be plenty of times where you will have to submit information either orally or on paper, so they give the applicant a lie detector test to figure out just how honest of a police officer they would be.

After Graduation

Once applicants are done with all the testing and interviews, the last step is graduating the academy and finding a permanent job ins law enforcement. There’s a high demand for police officers in the state of Washington, which means finding a job should not be that difficult.

And also, they starting pay is nearly $74,170 per year. That’s pretty good money for a recent grad. So now that you know what to expect, be sure to visit Prepare For The Police Academy for more guides on passing the police officer training in Washington.

County Sheriff and Local Police Departments in WA: