Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates; State POST commissions and legislatures, State peace officer standards: statutes, administrative rules and POST commission pages. Data captured September 30, 2026.
How to become a police officer in Georgia
- Certifying body
- Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST)
- Certification
- POST Peace Officer (Basic Law Enforcement) Certification
- Minimum age
- 18 (O.C.G.A. §35-8-8(a)(1); GA Comp. R. & Regs. 464-3-.02(1)(a)). Many agencies, including Georgia State Patrol, set higher ages. School resource officer certification requires 21 (464-13-.21).
- Education
- High school diploma, a recognized equivalent (GED), or an approved college degree. A Council-approved exam can substitute if accreditation of the diploma cannot be documented (O.C.G.A. §35-8-8(a)(3); 464-3-.02(1)(c)).
- Citizenship
- U.S. citizen, including naturalized or repatriated (O.C.G.A. §35-8-8(a)(2); 464-3-.02(1)(b)).
- Disqualifiers
- Conviction (any state or federal) of any crime punishable by imprisonment in a state or federal prison, i.e., felony-grade. Enough misdemeanors to show a pattern of disregard for the law (pardoned traffic offenses excluded). Lack of good moral character found by background investigation. Failing a physician exam or psychological exam (O.C.G.A. §35-8-8(a)(4),(6),(7); 464-3-.02; 464-3-.14).
- Basic academy
- Basic Law Enforcement Training Course (state-mandated basic course, O.C.G.A. §35-8-9, §35-8-11; 464-5-.01). The 2025 POST curriculum totals 809 hours. In June 2024 POST raised the minimum from 408 hours effective Jan. 1, 2025. GPSTC advertises its program as 784 hours. Entry requires a POST-approved academy entrance exam (Accuplacer, ASSET or COMPASS), waived for accredited degree holders (O.C.G.A. §35-8-8(a)(8)).
- State exam
- None required
- Fitness standard
- POST Physical Agility Test (PAT): a timed obstacle course in 2:06 or less, including a 150-lb dummy drag, 4-ft fence and window climb, 6-ft gap and low crawl. It must be passed within 30 days of academy start, 2 attempts (POST Uniform Law Enforcement Academy Regulation 2026 §3.1.3; POST 'How Do I Become a POST Certified Peace Officer?').
- Time to certify
- The basic course must be completed before appointment. Until certified, a candidate may not exercise arrest powers, and agencies may not employ persons without POST pre-employment certification (O.C.G.A. §35-8-9(a),(c), §35-8-10(a)). A POST application is valid for 18 months (464-3-.01).
- Officers from other states
- Equivalency of Training (EOT). Eligible: out-of-state officers who graduated from their state's academy and hold valid certification in good standing; federal officers with FLETC UPTP/MBPTP; military police; and DoD UPTP graduates. Candidates complete 16 hours of Georgia criminal law, traffic law and Governor's initiatives training (via POST on Zoom) and Georgia's Standard Qualification Course for Firearms (O.C.G.A. §35-8-9(b); POST EOT Information, rev. May 2024).
- Continuing training
- 20 hours per calendar year (O.C.G.A. §35-8-21). These include at least 3 hours of firearms, deadly-force and de-escalation training (464-5-.03.1), 2 hours of community policing (464-5-.03.2), 1 hour of human trafficking (464-5-.03.3) and 1 hour of gang awareness (464-5-.03.4). Officers who miss the requirement lose arrest powers (464-5-.20).
Covers Department of Public Safety (State Patrol), county, municipal, GBI, DNR and other units (O.C.G.A. §35-8-10(b)). Commissioned DPS officers receive annual training as set by the Commissioner of Public Safety rather than the standard 20-hour rule (§35-8-21(a)). Deputy sheriffs are peace officers under POST. Elected sheriffs have separate statutory qualifications (O.C.G.A. Title 15, Ch. 16). Jail officers, communications officers and correctional officers hold separate POST certifications with their own basic courses; jail officers must train within 6 months (O.C.G.A. §35-8-24). There is no separate statewide licensing exam: certification rests on completing the basic course with academy-administered written and performance exams under the POST Uniform Law Enforcement Academy Regulation, plus the pre-academy entrance exam.
Source: State POST commissions and legislatures, State peace officer standards: statutes, administrative rules and POST commission pages. Data captured October 2, 2026.
Pay in Georgia, all employers Sourced
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (SOC 33-3051) in Georgia, all employers combined: BLS state estimates do not separate government from private.
| Measure | GA |
|---|---|
| Workers | 22,170 |
| 10th percentile | $43,690 |
| Median | $58,120 |
| 90th percentile | $76,250 |
| National median, government employers | $76,300 |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — state estimates; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national estimates by ownership. Data captured September 30, 2026.
Pension in Georgia
Local employees: Local police and firefighters
| Plan | Accrual | Normal retirement | Employee pays | Social Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peace Officers' Annuity and Benefit Fund of Georgia (POAB) Current provisions | — | age 55 once vested (15 years of creditable service; 10 years if the member joined on or before 2010-06-30) | Set by the employer | Varies |
The statewide plan a new hire usually joins. Some cities and counties run their own plans; check with the employer. Each plan's formula, vesting, cost-of-living adjustment and retiree health are on the Georgia pension plans list.
Source: State retirement systems, Official state retirement system pages, member handbooks and statutes. Data captured October 2, 2026.
Employers in Georgia
356 police departments in Georgia.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer — law-enforcement agencies by state (API). Data captured September 30, 2026.
Free practice tests for Georgia
Georgia POST Peace Officer Certification ExamGeorgia exam · free on Open Exam Prep- IPMA-HR / PSHRA Entry-Level Police Officer Test (PO-EL)Entrance or licensing exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery (LEAB)Entrance or licensing exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- National Criminal Justice Officer Selection Inventory (NCJOSI-3)Entrance or licensing exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- National Police Officer Selection Test (POST)Entrance or licensing exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- NTN FrontLine National - Law Enforcement ExamPractice for a named exam · free on Open Exam Prep
- Police Aptitude and Character Test (PACT)Entrance or licensing exam · free on Open Exam Prep
Source: Open Exam Prep, Open Exam Prep free practice tests. Data captured October 1, 2026. Each link was opened and its exam title checked on the date shown.
More about this job
Requirements, hiring process, training, schedule and day-to-day work are on the national Police Officer page.
Police Officer in other states
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Georgia government jobs · Georgia public pension plans · police officer standards in Georgia · exam practice in Georgia