How to Become a Police Officer in Oklahoma

All peace officers in Oklahoma must attend and successfully complete an approved basic training course established by the state Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET).

A person may be hired by a police agency before taking the course, but in such cases is deemed to hold police certification on a temporary basis only. In that instance, the individual has six months from the date of appointment to satisfactory complete the basic training course.

 Requirements & Disqualifying Factors

In order to attend the CLEET training you must be 21 and a citizen of the United States with a high school diploma or GED certificate. You may not have been convicted in a state or federal court of any felony, a crime of moral turpitude or crime of domestic violence.

Even misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence will disqualify a candidate because Federal law prohibits individuals with domestic violation convictions from carrying firearms.

All candidates are fingerprinted and must be cleared by a background check with the FBI and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. They also must pass a psychological exam and meet certain physical fitness requirements before attending a CLEET training course.

A complete and detailed description of requirements can be found at this website:

www.ok.gov/cleet/documents/FullTimePeaceOfficersFactSheet.pdf. The CLEET website is at www.ok.gov/cleet/CLEET_Policies,_Standards_and_Guidelines/index.html.

Finally, here is a site on that lists all police agencies in the state: http://www.pd-dir-ok.us. Use it to find a job and to determine if a particular department has additional requirements to meet above and beyond the minimum standards set by the state.

 Police Training Academy

The basic training course is offered at the state’s K. O. Rayburn Training Center in ADA, OK. The curriculum is a 14 ½-week residential program and is semi-military in nature with uniforms and strict rules to follow.

Course work is given in driving, firearms, criminal investigation, defensive tactics, patrol tactics, domestic violence and sexual assault investigation.

A passing grade of 70% must be achieved for the majority of academic blocks, but 80% is required for First Aid and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing. On the Final, or Certification Exam, a passing grade of 70% must be achieved.

 Physical Fitness Standards

The physical fitness portion of certification is challenging and involves time through an obstacle course designed to simulate field activities of a police officer. The course involves running, crawling, shuffling sideways and to the rear, dodging obstacles and dragging weights.

The entire course must be completed in 2 minutes and 22 seconds or less to pass. A complete description of the physical component can be found at www.ok.gov/cleet/Peace_Officers/Physical_Test_for_Safe_Participation/index.html.

Follow the links to Test Administration Guide for detains about the test itself, and Safe Participation Course for a diagram of the obstacle course.

Average Police Officer Salary in Oklahoma

According to the Bureau Of Labor Statistics (2010), a police officer in the state of Oklahoma makes between $27,060 – $38,820 per year. However the data collected by BLS is not very accurate because it does not record overtime pay or off duty work. These two factors, if included in the data, would increase the average salary of a police officer in OK.

Police Officer Jobs in OK

There are several law enforcement job openings in Oklahoma. Simply visit our Career Job Opening or go to the official website of the agency you are interested in to complete an application of employment. Below is a list of all the law enforcement agencies in the state of Oklahoma.

State law mandates applicants be a citizen of the United States, be of good moral character, at least 21 and no more than 35 years of age by the start date of the academy, and shall have an associate degree or have successfully completed 62 semester hours of course work from an accredited college or university.

Individuals who are not certified by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training as full-time police officers and accepted into the academy will be hired on a temporary basis May 31, 2001. They will attend a four-week CLEET basic training academic course of instruction. Those selected individuals who are CLEET certified will merge in with those attending the basic training on June 30, 2001. June 30 will be the official start date of the academy.

Men and women accepted into the 14- to 18-week academy will be classified according to merit system guidelines as OHP Cadets, with a salary of $2,029.00 per month. Academy graduates will receive their commissions as sworn officers of the State of Oklahoma. At the successful completion of a one-year probationary period, members become Oklahoma Highway Patrol Officers with an annual salary of .

The testing process includes written tests, physical agility testing, an oral interview board, background check, polygraph testing, psychological testing, and a medical evaluation, which includes a vision test.

Qualifications

Age (by start date of Academy)
Minimum: 21 years
Maximum: 35 years

Education
An associate’s degree or a minimum of 62 successfully completed semester hours from an accredited college or university

Residency
Citizen of the United States of America

Required Documents
State of Oklahoma employment application
Birth Certificate
College or university transcripts indicating an associate degree or a minimum of 62 semester hours
Military DD-214 (if applicable)
CLEET Certificate (if applicable, indicating current status as a full-time police officer)
Veteran’s preference claim form (if applicable)

Salary

Cadet: $per month
Trainee: $per month
Officer: $per month

Benefits

Annual leave: days per year
Sick leave: days per year
Holidays
Health and life insurance
Retirement plan

Fitness Test

Physical agility   

• 1.5 mile run Maximum time: 14:15 (minutes:seconds)
• 300 meter run Maximum time: 1:02 (minutes:seconds)
• Sit-ups (repetitions in one minute) Minimum: 32
• Pushups (no time limit) Minimum: 23

Written test

Focus points: Reading, writing, spelling comprehension (no math)

Oral Interview

The board is comprised of Patrol personnel. Job related questions will be asked of the applicant. Responses will be scored upon content and presentation.

Mini-academy

Applicants may be offered an opportunity to attend a weekend mini-academy. This is to familiarize applicants with the conditions and standards of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Academy.

Executive Interview

Applicants recommended to go further in the process will be interviewed by the Commissioner of Public Safety and Chief of the Patrol.

Additional Testing

If offered a position, applicants will be scheduled for the following. All hiring is contingent upon passing:

Polygraph examination

Psychological testing(written and oral interview)

Medical examination, includes vision testing(20/70 vision in worst eye uncorrected, corrected to 20/20, or 20/20 in each eye if corrective lenses are not used.)

Background Investigation

A thorough and comprehensive background investigation will be done on each applicant.

Patrol Academy

Training is 14 to 18 weeks in length, depending upon CLEET certification. Non-CLEET certified cadets will be hired on a temporary basis to attend a four week academic basic training course. CLEET certified cadets merge with those attending the basic training at approximately the five week mark.

All cadets will then finish out the remainder of the academy. Cadets live in a dormitory environment during the academy. The Robert R. Lester Training Center is located at the Department’s headquarters complex, 3600 North Martin Luther King Boulevard in Oklahoma City.

Disqualifications

Oklahoma State Statute Title 70 and Attorney General’s Opinion 84-101 prohibits any individual who has ever been convicted of a felony crime from becoming a commissioned peace officer, for that individual is not authorized to carry a firearm.

Statute 18 U.S.C. Section 922 (g) prohibits any individual who has ever been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from becoming a commissioned peace officer, for that individual is not authorized to carry a firearm.

Drug Policy – The attached Department’s drug policy will apply to all applicants. It will be strictly adhered to.

Assignments

All assignments are made at the discretion of the Chief of the Patrol. Assignments are throughout the state of Oklahoma.

Miscellaneous information

Any applicant under CLEET obligation to a current employer will be responsible for any monies owed.