West Virginia Police Academy Requirement And Qualification

So you’re wondering if being a police officer is a good career choice? Well, it’s definitely a rewarding and fulfilling occupation. After graduation, there are plenty of specialized units you can work with and plenty of various ranks you can achieve.

All states including West Virginia are in need of police officers. So if you want to be the one to make a great difference in the city you live in, then becoming a police officer that everyone can respect and admire is a great way to start. And while this guide will go over what you can expect from police training, we highly suggest that you also visit www.PrepareForThePoliceAcademy.com to get even more in-depth guides on what it takes to become a police officer in the state of West Viriginia.

The Future of Police Officer Jobs

As you may already know, West Virginia has one of the lowest cost of living rates in the United States of America. It’s nearly 14% lower than other states. So having said that, because there is a steady influx of people moving to the state, obviously, that means that there will be a need for more police officers in the future as well.

Now even though the cost of living is low, the starting salary for new police officers is quite high at nearly $40,000 a year. That’s not going to make you rich anytime soon, but it’s definitely enough to live comfortably off of because of the low cost of living rate. And in addition to the good starting pay rate, you can easily make more money by doing plenty of overtime work and by working special events.

Minimum Requirements

There’s certain requirements, applicants must meet if they want to be hired as a police officer in the state of West Virginia. The very first is that they have to be a citizen of the United States. They also mustn’t have any prior felony or high-level misdemeanor convictions.

They must currently have a valid form of I.D. such as a drivers license. Now, these are just the basic requirements that all the applicants must meet. The following is what will take place once the applicant makes it past the initial phase.

First there will be a medical examination. This is one of the most vital parts of the entire interview process because they need to find out if you’re healthy enough for not only the upcoming training that will take place later on, but also for the physical tasks you will go through once becoming an actual police officer.

So if you are currently going through some type of medical issue, we suggest taking care of that first before applying. After that is the physical fitness exam. And in order to make it to the next phase of testing, recruits have to be in the top 40%. There will also be a background investigation to make sure you don’t have a criminal history and also to check and see if you have a good history of paying off your debt.

They will also do one on one interview with family and friends to get a better idea of the type of person you are. For a more in-depth overview of what exactly you should do to prepare for this phase of the interview process, we suggest visiting PrepareForThePoliceAcademy.com.

Academy Life

To actually become a police officer, first, you must make it through the police academy exams and interviews. Life at the academy can be very taxing on the body and mind.

It will require lots of effort and determination to make it through all of the obstacles the academy will put you through. But that’s is their goal. They want to push all recruits to their limits to see what they can and can not handle. Those who can’t deal with training may not be cut out to become a police officer.

Now while the bulk of training will be a series of physical tests, there is also a phase of training that deals with learning the various codes that all police officers must know.

There’s also firearm training. Firing a firearm may seem simple, but there are so many aspects to handling a firearm that most people are not aware of. And during training, they will make sure you learn everything you need to know about handling a firearm including cleaning it and the proper way to shoot.

After Graduation

Once you make it through training, the next step is to actually find work as a police officer. This will usually only take a few days, because during training, the process to get hired is already in motion.

So now that you have an idea about what it takes to become a police officer is West Virginia, be sure to visit www.PrepareForThePoliceAcademy.com for affordable guides on the best way to prepare for police officer training.

County Sheriff & Local Police Departments in WV