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 Louisiana
- Certification
- POST Level 1 Basic Law Enforcement Peace Officer certification (Level 2 Basic Correctional Peace Officer; Level 3 jail/correctional officer)
- Minimum age
- POST sets no statewide minimum age (none in La. R.S. 40:2401 et seq. or LAC 22:III Ch. 47). Deputy sheriffs: at least 18 (La. R.S. 13:5536(A)(1)). State Police trooper cadets: at least 21 at application (LSP). Municipal police under fire and police civil service (municipalities of 7,000-250,000, parishes and fire protection districts): test applicants must be 'of legal age', and the local board may set other age limits by rule (La. R.S. 33:2493(A)(3)-(4), 33:2553(A)(3)-(4)). Other departments set their own.
- Education
- POST sets no statewide education standard. Deputy sheriffs need an accredited high school diploma or a Louisiana-recognized equivalency (La. R.S. 13:5536(A)(2)). LSP cadets need a high school diploma or equivalency plus one of: 2 years of full-time POST Level 1 certified experience, 60 college semester hours, a 2-year combination of both (30 hours = 1 year), or 3 years of continuous active military duty. Municipal police under fire and police civil service: education requirements are set by the local civil service board's rules (La. R.S. 33:2493(A)(4), 33:2553(A)(4)).
- Citizenship
- U.S. citizen (by law, birth or naturalization) required for peace officers under La. R.S. 40:2402(3)(b) and (5), added by Act 283 of 2026 (HB 39, signed 5/22/2026). The Act states no effective date, so it took effect 8/1/2026 (La. Const. art. III, §19). Currently employed lawful permanent residents are exempt if they naturalize by 8/1/2031. Military Department military police are not covered by the citizenship clause. Fire and police civil service test applicants must also be U.S. citizens (La. R.S. 33:2493(A)(3), 33:2553(A)(3)), and LSP requires citizenship.
- Disqualifiers
- No statewide pre-hire disqualifier list in the POST statute or rules. Certification must be revoked for a conviction of malfeasance in office or of any offense that restricts the right to bear arms. After a hearing it may be revoked for a felony, a misdemeanor domestic abuse battery (R.S. 14:35.3), termination or forced retirement/resignation for unreasonable force, or failure to complete required training (La. R.S. 40:2405(J); LAC 22:III.4731). In fire and police civil service jurisdictions the board may reject applicants who are physically unfit, habitually use drugs or alcohol to excess, have been found guilty of a crime involving moral turpitude, cheated on an exam, or made a material false statement (La. R.S. 33:2493(A)(5), 33:2553(A)(5)). LSP cadets are disqualified by a felony conviction (absent legal relief), pending felony charges, or a DWI or hit-and-run conviction within 3 years.
- Basic academy
- Level 1 Basic Law Enforcement Peace Officer course: at least 496 hours (POST/LCLE). The statutory floor is 400 hours of core curriculum (La. R.S. 40:2404.2(A)). Level 2 Basic Correctional: 249 hours. Level 3: 92 hours. Students need 70% on each block, 80% on firearms qualification, and absences of no more than 10% (LAC 22:III.4703(B)).
- State exam
- POST statewide written examination for peace officers (POST certification exam): 70% to pass, 90-minute limit, one retest after 15-30 working days; failing the retest means repeating the full course (La. R.S. 40:2405(A); LAC 22:III.4703(C)).
- Time to certify
- Full-time officers must complete the POST course and pass the exam within 1 calendar year of initial employment (2 years in villages of 1,000 or fewer people). Part-time and reserve officers hired on or after 1/1/2022 have 3 years. Those who miss the deadline may not exercise peace officer authority (La. R.S. 40:2405(A), (E); LAC 22:III.4703(A)).
- Officers from other states
- Out-of-state transfers need a currently valid out-of-state POST certificate and full-time employment. Under LAC 22:III.4707 they complete Legal Aspects (40 hours) and Firearms (40 hours) at an accredited academy and pass the statewide exam (70%); failing means taking the full basic course. The LCLE POST page now lists a longer set of blocks, taken within a POST basic class: Legal Aspects, Firearms, Orientation, Active Shooter, Officer Survival, Use of Force, First Aid/CPR, and parts of Public Trust & Professionalism, Domestic and Family Matters and Crisis Intervention, plus an academy firearms qualification and the statewide exam (70%). Officers with insufficient prior hours, or pre-service-only training, must complete the full course. Out-of-state corrections training is not accepted for Level 2 or 3.
- Continuing training
- 20 hours a year (calendar year), starting the first calendar year after certification: 8 hours firearms, 4 officer survival, 2 legal, 6 electives (La. R.S. 40:2404.2(B); LAC 22:III.4750(B)), plus annual firearms requalification at 80% (LAC 22:III.4750(A)). Missing the hours suspends certification with 90 days to make them up; after that it is revoked and a refresher course is required (LAC 22:III.4750(C); LCLE POST In-Service page). Elected/appointed agency heads and Level 3 officers are exempt.
POST is a training-standards council: it sets curriculum, the exam and in-service rules, but not statewide hiring standards for age, education, driver's license or criminal history. Those come from other statutes (deputy sheriffs under R.S. 13:5536; fire and police civil service under R.S. 33:2471 et seq. for municipalities of 13,000-250,000 and R.S. 33:2531 et seq. for municipalities of 7,000-13,000, parishes and fire protection districts), civil service board rules, or the agency. There is no statewide entry fitness test: POST denies certification to students physically unable to complete every part of the course (LAC 22:III.4703(B)), and academies set PT standards. The 'peace officer' definition excludes elected or appointed heads of law enforcement departments (sheriffs, chiefs). The citizenship requirement is in Act 283 as enrolled; the online text of R.S. 40:2402 does not yet show it. The LAC out-of-state rule (4707, last amended 2009) is narrower than the process LCLE now publishes; both are described under lateral entry. The 496-hour Level 1 minimum is from the LCLE POST page; the statutory core-curriculum floor is 400 hours (R.S. 40:2404.2(A)).
Source: State POST commissions and legislatures, State peace officer standards: statutes, administrative rules and POST commission pages. Data captured October 2, 2026.
Pay in Louisiana, all employers Sourced
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (SOC 33-3051) in Louisiana, all employers combined: BLS state estimates do not separate government from private.
| Measure | LA |
|---|---|
| Workers | 12,400 |
| 10th percentile | $36,470 |
| Median | $48,380 |
| 90th percentile | $69,140 |
| 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 Louisiana
Local employees: Local police and firefighters
| Plan | Accrual | Normal retirement | Employee pays | Social Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System (MPERS) - Hazardous Duty Subplan Hazardous Duty Subplan (post-2012) | 3% | age 55 with 12 years of service | 10% | 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 Louisiana pension plans list.
Source: State retirement systems, Official state retirement system pages, member handbooks and statutes. Data captured October 2, 2026.
Employers in Louisiana
143 police departments in Louisiana.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer — law-enforcement agencies by state (API). Data captured September 30, 2026.
Free practice tests for Louisiana
Louisiana POST Level 1 Statewide Certification ExaminationLouisiana 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.
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