Answer 11 quick questions and see where you stand against the hiring baseline most US agencies use.
Police Eligibility Checker
Answer 11 quick questions about your age, education, citizenship, record, driving and drug history, and see where you stand against the baseline most US agencies hire from. There is no single national standard — over 18,000 agencies set their own rules — so this screens you against the usual baseline and flags what each agency will dig into.
General information only — every agency sets its own standards, so check the specific department’s published requirements before you apply. Never lie on an application: dishonesty itself is a top disqualifier.
There is no single national standard
More than 18,000 agencies, each state POST board setting its own baseline and departments adding rules on top. This checker screens against the baseline most agencies share and flags where they differ — a “caution” means check the agency you actually want to join.
The three bars that do not clear with time
A felony conviction, a domestic-violence conviction (even a misdemeanor) and a dishonorable discharge each trigger a federal firearm bar — 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), (g)(9) and (g)(6) — and an officer must carry a firearm. Everything else in the checker is fixable with time, paperwork or clean living: a GED, a reinstated license, years since a DUI or drug use.
What “caution” really means
A caution is not a rejection. It is the part of your history the background investigator will spend the most time on: an old arrest without a conviction, one DUI more than five years ago, marijuana use over a year ago, a general discharge. Honest, complete answers and clean time since the issue are what get candidates through this stage.
Police eligibility questions, answered
Is there one national standard for becoming a police officer?
No. There are more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the US, and each state POST board sets its own baseline while individual departments add their own rules on top. This checker screens you against the baseline most agencies share — age 21 by appointment, a diploma or GED, citizenship, a clean-enough record — and flags where departments differ, so a “caution” here means “check the agency you actually want to join”.
Does a felony conviction really end it everywhere?
In practice, yes. Federal law bars firearm possession after a felony conviction (18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)), and a police officer must carry a firearm — so no department can hire around it. The same federal bar applies to a domestic-violence misdemeanor conviction (§ 922(g)(9)) and a dishonorable discharge (§ 922(g)(6)). These are the three permanent bars in this checker.
How long do I have to wait after a DUI or drug use?
It depends on the agency, but the published lookback windows cluster: a DUI within about 5 years is an automatic disqualification at many departments, while one older DUI is usually survivable. For drugs, marijuana windows run 1 to 3 years at many departments and other drugs 5 to 10 years; selling or manufacturing drugs is a permanent bar nearly everywhere. Clean time is the only cure — it cannot be shortened.
Do I need a college degree to join?
No — a high school diploma or GED is the universal minimum, and it is the one education line every agency shares. Some agencies do require 30 to 60 college credits or a degree (the NYPD wants 60 credits or military service; federal agencies are degree-level), so a degree helps, but a diploma clears the baseline almost everywhere.
What if I was arrested but never convicted?
An arrest without a conviction is not an automatic bar, but background investigators will go through it in detail — what happened, when, and whether you disclose it fully. Dishonesty on the application is itself a top disqualifier, so the worst move is hiding it. Be ready to explain it, with documents if you have them.
Keep reading on Police Pathfinder
- Police Exam Practice Test — 20 free questions for the written exam, the next step if you clear the baseline
- Police Fitness Test Standards Checker — check your sit-ups, push-ups and run against five agencies
- Police Salary Calculator — what the job pays in your state, overtime included
- Police Ranks & Insignia Quiz — learn the ladder you would be joining