How to Become a police Officer in Nevada

**IMPORTANT**

The information below is subject to change, and may have already changed. Please visit the official webpage of the law enforcement agency that you’re interested in working for.

NEVADA TROOPER SELECTION PROCESS

Consists of the following steps. Applicants must be successful at each phase to proceed to the next step.

1. BEGINNING THE SELECTION PROCESS

Review the minimum requirements in the recruitment announcement for Nevada Highway Patrol Cadet . If you meet these requirements, you may enter the Trooper selection process, which begins with the proper completion of a State of Nevada – Employment Application 

2. QUALIFYING WRITTEN TEST:

Measures comprehension; English usage, including spelling and vocabulary; reasoning and ability to make common sense judgments on practical problems. These skills are necessary to learn the job of Trooper. The written test is given on a pass/ fail basis. You will be advised of the time and place for the written test.

3. PHYSICAL ABILITY TEST:

Consists of events designed to measure your physical strength, endurance and agility. The test events are subject to change. A description of the current test will be provided when you are scheduled for the exam.

4. PERSONAL HISTORY STATEMENT:

You will be provided with a Personal History Statement package which you will be required to complete accurately and truthfully then return prior to the deadline date given.

5. PRE-HIRING INTERVIEW:

You will be scheduled for a hiring interview with a panel of Nevada Highway Patrol Officers. Questions asked will include problem solving, community service orientation, role adaptability and personal accomplishments.

6. BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION:

Includes an interview, a thorough check of police records, personal, military and employment histories, and an inquiry of persons who know you. The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether you meet the job dimensions adopted by the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety for sworn officer positions.

Successful Candidates will be given a conditional offer of employment at this point. The candidate will then be required to satisfactorily complete the following steps:

7. WRITTEN PSYCHOLOGICAL TEST:

The results of this test are evaluated by a psychologist to determine if applicants have personality traits of successful police officers. This may be followed up by a scheduled visit with the Division psychologist.

8. POLYGRAPH EXAM:

Candidates are scheduled for a Polygraph Exam to verify the content of their Personal History Statement/Background Investigation.

9. MEDICAL EXAMINATION:

You will be required to provide the Nevada Highway Patrol with the results of a medical examination showing that you are physically fit to perform the duties of Trooper. This medical examination will be completed at your expense.

10. DRUG TEST:

You will be required to pass a drug screening test.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

AGE: You must be 21 years of age at the time of application.

EDUCATION: Graduation from High School or equivalent education (GED) and two years experience in either military service or in public contact work which included interpreting rules, regulations or procedures;

OR

Associate of Arts Degree in criminal justice, psychology or other closely related field and one year experience as described above;

OR

Graduation from an accredited college or university in criminal justice, public administration or other closely related field.

CITIZENSHIP: You must be a citizen of the United States at the time of application.

VISION: Your visual acuity may not be less than 20/100 in each eye without correction, and corrected to 20/20 in the better eye and not less than 20/25 in the lesser eye. You must have the ability to distinguish basic colors. Your peripheral vision must not be less than 140 degrees in each eye.

HEARING: You must possess normal hearing.

HEALTH: You must be in excellent health with no conditions which would restrict your ability to safely perform law enforcement work.

BACKGROUND: The Nevada Highway Patrol has a moral and ethical obligation to select only the best qualified applicants for the position of Nevada State Trooper.

Our background investigations ensure that we select only those individuals of impeccable moral character and uncompromising integrity.

You will not be appointed if you have been convicted of an offense involving the unlawful use, possession or sale of a controlled substance.

You will not be appointed if you have a history of violence.

You will not be appointed if you have a history of financial irresponsibility.

You will not be appointed if you have a poor driving record.

LICENSES: You must be able to obtain a valid Nevada Class C drivers license and must have the ability to obtain both a radio operator’s certificate and a radar operator’s certificate.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Subject to Change)
ACADEMY TRAINING

Academy Training lasts about 5 months and is based on a 40-hour week. Cadets reside at the Academy.

Recruits are paid at the Highway Patrol Cadet pay scale. Room and board is provided free. The Academy supplies you with your initial set of uniforms, leather gear, protective equipment and weapons.

ASSIGNMENTS

Assignments are normally made during the Academy to one of 28 geographical duty stations throughout the State. You must be willing to locate anywhere in the State. Upon graduation you will be assigned to experienced Field Training Officers for approximately four months.

JOB BENEFITS

Job Benefits are excellent, with annual paid vacations, holidays, medical and dental plans, sick leave and a retirement system.

CAPITOL POLICE HISTORY & DETAILS

MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Capitol Police Division is to achieve a safe environment free of crime, and to promote the well-being of all persons on state property, while demonstrating integrity, diligence, compassion, and professionalism.

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
The Capitol Police Division, Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety, is organized in three distinct areas of responsibility:

CAPITOL POLICE DIVISION – Carson City

The Nevada Capitol Police maintain a 24-hour Police presence in the lobby of the State Capitol building. Radio dispatch equipment at the desk is used to communicate with patrol units. Duties include protection of the constitutional officers and their support personnel housed in the Capitol building, x-raying all mail addressed to the Governor, crowd control at the Capitol as necessary, provision of initial medical assistance, and employee escorts to or from any location on or near the Capitol Complex. Additionally, visitors from around the world, enter this grand old building daily, and are assisted where necessary as they enjoy the exhibits on their self-guided tour. One officer is assigned to the Attorney General’s office building during business hours. The officer’s desk in the lobby enables the officer to assist and screen persons having business with the Attorney General.

Sixty-three state owned or leased buildings are patrolled daily with almost 36,000 miles logged in 1996 to provide a safe environment in and around the buildings.

SUPREME COURT DETAIL – Carson City

A detachment of one sergeant and three officers is permanently assigned to the Nevada Supreme Court. They are deployed on weekdays from 7:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. with overlapping shifts during peak business hours. Weekend deployment is provided on an as-needed basis. During the year there are a variety of court functions requiring police presence;

Oral arguments before the court which are open to the public are conducted monthly for five consecutive days. All persons involved both as participant and spectator are scanned by metal detector for possibly dangerous instruments. Two thousand persons were checked in 1996.

Administrative hearings in the court room, open to the public, are held several times during the year. One hundred and seven persons were checked by the scanner during the hearings.
The Board of Pardons meets biannually and is impaneled by the five justices, the Governor, and the Attorney General. Prison inmates are transported from the various prisons throughout Nevada. The Board also hears Community Cases wherein persons are requesting pardon with restoration of civil rights including the right to bear arms. Two hundred and fourteen persons were checked by the scanner.
U. S. Tax Court was in session for five days during which time forty cases were heard. Officers monitored these proceedings.

Tour groups are welcome during the year and are often present during oral arguments. They are required to pass through the scanner. Although our officers do not provide tours, security is maintained during their presence in the facility both for the building and to ensure privacy for court employees. Tours included government officials from Mexico, five judges from Romania, the Ms. Senior Nevada Pageant group, senior citizens from out of state, and school groups from throughout Nevada. In addition, Boys State and Girls State groups use the court room for mock senate sessions and presentations for a period of several days each year.

The Law Library is accessible 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, for which officers provide after hours supervision to users of the library. Entrance is gained by key card. Five hundred and nine key cards are currently issued with an additional 30 temporary day cards are maintained by the Supreme Court detail.
Video monitoring and taping are provided by Capitol Police staff, year around, with 50 cameras employed inside and outside the building.
Capitol Police Division – Las Vegas
In 1994, with impetus provided by rapid growth in the state population, a Las Vegas branch of the Capitol Police was established and based in the Grant Sawyer building. One sergeant and eight officers are deployed to ensure the safety of state employees in their work environment and non-employees who enter the building during business hours. This has been accomplished by the implementation of security systems and by establishing close contact with the 540 employees of the 23 state agencies housed there. A safety committee and activities committee provide a forum to optimize the safety of the employees. Daily, an additional 500 to 700 persons visit or conduct business in the building. Services requested may include preventing crime, making arrests or standing by at various hearing conducted by state agencies.

HISTORY OF THE NEVADA CAPITOL POLICE
In 1949 the Nevada Legislature established the Division of Buildings and Grounds. The superintendent of this new division was responsible for the security of the Capitol building and grounds, and other state buildings under his supervision and control. He hired and armed two night watchmen to fulfill that responsibility. The Legislature granted the watchmen the same powers of arrest as the police officers of Carson City. In 1966 the watchmen were renamed “Capitol Security”, and in 1972 they were provided with uniforms. Although these state security officers were armed, they received no formal weapons training and were not peace officers. They had the same limited authority as the watchmen who preceded them. They had no assigned vehicle but were forced to use any available Division of Buildings and Grounds vehicle to patrol state property.

During it’s 1979 session, the Nevada legislature added the Capitol Security officers to the list of peace officers in the Nevada Revised Statutes 169.125. By listing them in this section with the Nevada Highway Patrol, sheriff’s, and police departments, the legislature granted to them peace officer status with police powers. This dramatically changed their status from watchmen/security officers to that of sworn peace officers. Since the organization was growing professionally, the need for a Chief of Police became apparent. Chief Gerald Cooksey was appointed and served from October 1984 to July 1987.

During the 1985 session the passage of Assembly Bill 230 gave the name “Nevada Capitol Police” to the state security officers. This name change more accurately identified the Nevada Capitol Police as state level law enforcement officers.

In 1985 there were eight members of the Nevada Capitol Police. The main duty station was in the State Capitol building and it was manned on a 24-hour basis, with one graveyard patrol shift.

Three subsequent Chiefs of Police commanded the force following the retirement of Chief Cooksey; they were; Ray Painter, from August 1987 to March 1994, Jim Hensen, from April 1994 to March 1995, and Randal Smith, from April 1995 to March 1998.

In 1995 the Nevada legislature transferred the Capitol Police from the Division of Buildings and grounds to the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety, forming a Nevada Capitol Police division within the Department.

At present there are 24 members of the Nevada Capitol Police. Fourteen officers are stationed in Carson City and 10 are stationed in the Grant Sawyer building in Las Vegas. The deployment to Las Vegas occurred in 1994, greatly expanding the responsibilities of the Capitol Police.