Police Training Requirements

Alabama Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 12 hours per year, plus firearms proficiency.
• Accountable body: Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commission

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Alaska Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: None, except firearms proficiency.
• Accountable body: Legislature and Alaska Police Standards Council

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Arizona Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 8 hours per year of electives. 8 hours every 3 years of proficiency training in firearms, emergency vehicle operations, pursuit, first aid, physical conditioning and high risk stops.
• Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Board

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Arkansas Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 16 hours per year, including firearms proficiency and racial profiling.
• Accountable body: Commission on Law Enforcement Standards & Training

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California Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours every 2 years
• Other Required training: 24 hours every 2 years. Minimum 4 hours each of arrest and control, driving, firearms or force options simulator. Other required courses: domestic violence every 2 years, first aid/CPR every 2 years, racial profiling/racial diversity every 5 years.
• Accountable body: Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training

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Colorado Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 24 hours per year, including 12 in arrest control, driving, and firearms.
• Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Board

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Connecticut Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training requirement: 3 hours every 3 years
• Other Required training: 60 hours every 3 years: 9 hours of firearms/use of force, 2 hours rape crisis, 2 hours domestic violence, 3 hours human relations (including serious mental illness), 1 hour juvenile law, 7 hours police and the law, 2 hours patrol procedures, 1 hour gang violence, 1 hour bias/bigotry, 1 hour implicit bias, 1 hour cultural awareness, 32 hours of electives.
• Accountable body: Police Officer Standards and Training Council

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Delaware Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 16 hours per year, plus firearms, CPR, defibrillator, Taser and first responder. Additionally, a sexual assault course once every four years and one hour every three years on child sexual abuse.
• Accountable body: Council on Police Training

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Florida Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 40 hours every 4 years. Stun gun every year. Firearms every 2 years. Human diversity, use of force, domestic violence, juvenile sex offender and racial profiling every 4 years.
• Accountable body: Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission

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Georgia Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training requirement: 1 hour per year
• Other Required training: 20 hours per year, including 1 hour firearms proficiency, 1 hour use of deadly force, and 2 hours community policing.
• Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Council

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Hawaii Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: None
• Accountable body: Hawaii State Legislature

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Idaho Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years.
• Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards & Training Council

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Illinois Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
• Other Required training: No specific number of hours required, but departments are required to train officers in civil rights, constitutional and proper use of law enforcement authority, cultural competency, human rights, law update, procedural justice or use of force.
• Accountable body: Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board

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Indiana Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
• Other Required training: 24 hours per year, including 2 hours in firearms, 2 hours in physical tactics/use of force and 2 hours in police vehicle operation. Officers are also supposed to get periodic training in mental disorders, addiction, missing persons, human trafficking, domestic violence, child abuse, sudden infant death syndrome and various first aid techniques. But the state doesn’t enforce that requirement.
• Accountable body: Law Enforcement Academy Board

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Iowa Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 36 hours every 3 years, plus firearms proficiency and CPR.
• Accountable body: Legislature

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Kansas Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 40 hours per year on any policing-related topic, plus biased-based policing every year.
• Accountable body: Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training

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Kentucky Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 40 hours per year
• Accountable body: Legislature

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Louisiana Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 20 hours per year: 8 hours of firearms, 4 hours of defensive tactics/officer survival, 2 hours of legal updates, 6 hours of electives.
• Accountable body: Council on Peace Officer Standards and Training

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Maine Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours per year
• Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years, including 10-12 hours specific topics that change every year. 2016 required topics included implicit bias and autism.
• Accountable body: Criminal Justice Academy Board

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Maryland Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
• Other Required training: 18 hours per year. Firearms every year. Sexual abuse, treatment of victims of crime, victims’ services, and identity fraud victims’ rights every 3 years. CPR every 2 years.
• Accountable body: Police Training Commission

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Massachusetts Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training requirement: 4 hours per year
• Other Required training: 40 hours per year, including firearms qualification and CPR. Specific course requirements change every year. In 2015 they included four hours on deadling with the mentally ill. In 2016 they included 3 hours of “fair and impartial policing.”
• Accountable body: Municipal Police Training Committee

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Michigan Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: Only mandatory training is firearms proficiency. The state does set advisory training standards: officer safety, communication, emergency vehicle operations, defensive tactics, legal update and mental disorders.
• Accountable body: Commission on Law Enforcement Standards

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Minnesota Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 48 hours every three years. Use of force every year. Driving every 5 five years.
• Accountable body: Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training

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Mississippi Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 24 hours per year.
• Accountable body: Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training

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Missouri Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours per year; Mental health training requirement: 2 hours per year
• Other Required training: 24 hours a year, including 1 hour racial profiling, 2 hours mental health, 2 hours officer well being, 2 hours implicit bias recognition, 2 hours de-escalation, 2 hours firearms.
• Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission

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Montana Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 20 hours every 2 years, including a review of the code of ethics.
• Accountable body: Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council

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Nebraska Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 20 hours per year.
• Accountable body: Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center

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Nevada Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 12 hours a year, plus training in firearms, use of force. Officers must also show proficiency with less-than-lethal weapons if they carry them.
• Accountable body: Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training

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New Hampshire Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 8 hours per year, plus firearms proficiency, use of force, first aid and CPR certificate renewal and defensive tactics refreshers.
• Accountable body: Police Standards and Training Council

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New Jersey Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 4 hours on domestic violence every year, plus firearms proficiency, use of force and vehicular pursuit.
• Accountable body: Attorney General

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New Mexico Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours every 2 years
• Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years, including amber alert training and pursuit policy training.
• Accountable body: Legislature

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New York Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training required under Executive Order 203: New York State Police and Reinvention Collaborative
• Other Required training: No specific state requirements except that officers must receive annual “instruction in deadly physical force and the use of firearms and other weapons.”
• Accountable body: Legislature

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North Carolina Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 24 hours a year. For 2016: 6 hours of firearms, 4 hours legal update, 2 hours “juvenile minority sensitivity,” 2 hours human trafficking, 2 hours “citizens and guns” and 8 hours of electives.
• Accountable body: Criminal Justice Education & Training Standards Commission

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North Dakota Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 60 hours every 3 year; 20 can be online, plus annual firearms proficiency.
• Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Board

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Ohio Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours per year
• Other Required training: Training requirements recently increased. 2016 requirement was 11 hours, increasing to 20 hours in 2017. Required subjects for training in 2016 were community-police relations and crisis de-escalation.
• Accountable body: Peace Officer Training Commission, Attorney General’s Office

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Oklahoma Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours per year
• Other Required training: 25 hours a year, plus an annual firearms recertification.
• Accountable body: Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training

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Oregon Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 84 hours every 3 years, including 8 hours of either firearms or use of force, plus CPR.
• Accountable body: Board on Public Safety Standards and Training

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Pennsylvania Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 12 hours per year, plus annual firearms proficiency, updated CPR and first aid. Legal update required in 2016.
• Accountable body: Municipal Police Officers Education & Training Commission (for police); Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (for sheriff’s deputies and constables)

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Rhode Island Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: Hate crimes, gangs and domestic violence training required by statute.
• Accountable body: Legislature

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South Carolina Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 40 hours every 3 years, including one legal update course and one domestic violence course.
• Accountable body: Legislature

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South Dakota Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
• Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years, including firearms proficiency.
• Accountable body: Legislature

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Tennessee Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
• Other Required training: 40 hours per year, including child sexual abuse, emergency vehicle operation and 8 hours of firearms proficiency.
• Accountable body: Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission

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Texas Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training is required, but no minimum hours set
• Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years, including legal update. A ‘basic peace officer’ must receive cultural diversity and special investigative topics. Additional requirements for those holding ‘intermediate peace officer’ certification.
• Accountable body: Commission on Law Enforcement

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Utah Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 40 hours per year.
• Accountable body: Peace Officer Standards and Training Council

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Vermont Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: Full time officers need 25 hours per year, including firearms, CPR and biennial domestic violence.
• Accountable body: Criminal Justice Training Council

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Virginia Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years, including 2 hours cultural diversity, 4 hours legal training and firearms proficiency.
• Accountable body: Criminal Justice Services Board

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Washington Police Training Requirements

• De-escalation training requirement: 2 hours per year
• Other Required training: 24 hours per year.
• Accountable body: Criminal Justice Training Commission

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West Virginia Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 16 hours per year, plus firearms proficiency.
• Accountable body: Law Enforcement Professional Standards (LEPS)

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Wisconsin Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 24 hours per year, including handgun proficiency, plus 4 hours vehicle pursuit every other year.
• Accountable body: Law Enforcement Standards Board

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Wyoming Police Training Requirements

• No de-escalation training required
• Other Required training: 40 hours every 2 years. First two years after certification, officers need 80 hours in 2 years.
• Accountable body: Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission

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Looking for information on how to become a police officer? Visit Police Training 101 Guide to learn more about police training and becoming a police officer.

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