Each state in the U.S. has a state police force, except Hawaii and while all state troopers in each state perform just about the same tasks, there is some variance. Unlike local, regional, and county police who are hired by local municipalities, State troopers are law enforcement officers employed by a state agency and are tasked with enforcing traffic laws on state-controlled roads and highways. They give first aid to victims of vehicle accidents, provide backup support to local, county, and federal law enforcement agencies, and oversee road closures during evacuations, serious weather conditions, and vehicle crashes.
State troopers also have the power to arrest and carry firearms. In every state, a state trooper candidate with a felony conviction is disqualified from consideration. (Here are the most militarized local police departments in America and the equipment they own.) 24/7 Wall St. drew on information from the website of each state’s police force to find out the requirements to join the state police in each state. These sites provided information on qualifications and the recruitment process as well as disqualifiers for getting the state trooper job.
Some state police forces have colorful histories, such as the Texas Rangers, created as a paramilitary force charged with protecting settlers from possible attacks by Native Americans in the 19th century. Many other state police were created as a strikebreaking force — often a controversial role opposed by many who viewed this as the state siding with employers.
As America’s highways grew, especially after the interstate highway system expanded beginning in the 1950s, the task of overseeing those roads fell on state troopers. Like all law enforcement agencies today, state troopers find it hard to fill jobs and hire recruits. Scandals such as the recent audit in Connecticut that found that state police troopers falsified information on traffic stops to skew reports on the race and ethnicity of pulled-over motorists, or the one that found that 82% of the people charged with misdemeanors by state troopers in a county in Texas were Black or Latino, do not help recruitment causes. (Also see, every state’s police department that has killed the most people.)
Today, all state police forces require candidates to have at least a high school diploma or GED, with a few requiring some college education. Candidates must also undergo medical and physical evaluations, including, in most states, a physical fitness test.
Here are the requirements to join the state police in each state.
Alabama
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- Background check: Background check for criminal history
- Tests: Written, medical, psychological tests
- Education: High school diploma, GED or post-secondary transcripts
- Physical requirements: Vision test; hearing test; certification from a doctor that candidate is physically able
Alaska
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- Background check: Felony conduct, misdemeanor convictions disqualifiers
- Tests: Written, medical, psychological tests
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Color vision testing; hearing test; medical screening
Arizona
- Background check: Background check for felony convictions
- Tests: Polygraph, medical, and psychological examinations
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Medical screening performed
Arkansas
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- Background check: Background check for felony convictions
- Tests: Polygraph, medical, and psychological examinations
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Must meet visual acuity requirements; medical screening
California
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- Background check: Background check for felony convictions
- Tests: Written exam; background investigation with voice stress analyzer; medical and psychological evaluations
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Must read from a standard eye test chart; must be free from condition that would prohibit performance of duties
Colorado
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- Background check: Background check for criminal history
- Tests: Psychological, medical, and polygraph tests
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Vision must be unimpaired or correctable to 20/20 and possess normal color vision. Hear voice and radio communication. Medical screening
Connecticut
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- Background check: Be free from felony and Class A or B misdemeanor convictions
- Tests: Psychological, polygraph, medical, and written test
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Normal color vision and depth perception, vision must be 20/30 each eye; normal hearing; medical and psychological evaluation
Delaware
- Background check: Felony conviction is an automatic disqualification
- Tests: Written, polygraph, and medical exam, life experience survey, work-styles inventory
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Visual acuity no worse than 20/40 in each eye, uncorrected, must be corrected to 20/20. Normal hearing. Medical, psychological evaluations
District of Columbia
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- Background check: Felony conviction is an automatic disqualification
- Tests: Written, polygraph medical test, and oral interview
- Education: Completed at least 60 semester hours of college credit with coursework in any subject from an accredited college or university
- Physical requirements: At least 20/100 vision, correctable to 20/30 in both eyes. Medical and psychological evaluations
Florida
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- Background check: Felonies and domestic violence convictions are automatic disqualifiers
- Tests: Written, justice basic abilities, and polygraph tests, medical and psychological evaluations
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Vision correctable to 20/30 in each eye with 140-degree field of vision; must pass medical exam
Georgia
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- Background check: Any felony conviction is a disqualifier
- Tests: Written and polygraph tests
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Minimum vision of 20/60 uncorrected in each eye, and corrected to 20/40. Medical examination, psychological evaluation
Hawaii
- Background check: Applicants can’t have domestic violence convictions
- Tests: Personal history questionnaire, medical examination, written test
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: 20/20 binocular vision, with or without correction. Meet health and physical condition standards necessary to perform job
Idaho
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- Background check: A conviction or withheld judgment for any local, state, or federal crime may be grounds for rejection
- Tests: Polygraph, medical, and psychological examinations
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Have uncorrected vision in each eye of no weaker than 20/200, with the strong eye corrected to 20/20 and the weaker eye corrected to 20/60; Unaided or aided hearing between zero and 25 decibels for each ear. Meet the health and physical condition standards necessary to perform the job.
Illinois
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- Background check: Applicant must have no felony convictions
- Tests: Oral interview, medical examination, psychological evaluation
- Education: Candidates must also have a bachelor’s degree or must have an associate’s degree with at least three years of service as a police officer or in active military duty.
- Physical requirements: Candidate won’t be considered if they have certain forms of color blindness or depth perception; candidate must average hearing loss of no greater than 30 dB for four frequencies. Medical and psychological evaluations
Indiana
- Background check: Background check performed.
- Tests: Written and polygraph tests, medical and psychological evaluations; oral interview
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Vision correctable to 20/50. Medical screening
Iowa
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- Background check: Felony conviction is a disqualifier.
- Tests: Medical examination, polygraph test, psychological evaluation, online exam
- Education: High school diploma or GED
Kansas
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- Background check: Any felony conviction or expungement thereof whether committed as a juvenile or adult is a disqualifier
- Tests: Oral interview, medical and psychological exams
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: 20/40 corrected; Must pass hearing standards
Kentucky
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- Background check: Candidate disqualified for felony conviction or a crime of moral turpitude
- Tests: Interview, polygraph test, aptitude testing
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Medical and psychological evaluations
Louisiana
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- Background check:Applicant convicted of a felony or a crime is disqualified
- Tests: Written test, oral interview, polygraph test
- Education: A minimum of 60 semester hours from an accredited college or university
- Physical requirements: Medical and psychological evaluations
Maine
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- Background check: Applicant disqualified if they have been convicted of murder or any crime classified in Maine law as a Class A, Class B, or Class C crime
- Tests: Alert exam, oral interview, polygraph test, psychological exam, medical exam, colonel’s interview
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Medical and psychological evaluations
Maryland
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- Background check: Applicant needs not have any current court orders relating to domestic violence
- Tests: Written test, polygraph test, medical exam, oral interview
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Visual acuity correctable to 20/20; Applicant needs to be in excellent physical condition
Massachusetts
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- Background check: Conviction of felony is a disqualifier
- Tests: Civil service exam, medical and psychological assessments
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: A minimum corrected distant visual acuity in each eye 20/30 with a minimum of 20/200 uncorrected distant visual acuity in each eye.
Michigan
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- Background check: Applicant cannot have a felony conviction
- Tests: Entry-level law enforcement exam, oral interview,
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Corrected vision must be 20/20 or better. Unaided testing for hearing involves pure tone air conduction thresholds for each ear. Medical and psychological evaluations
Minnesota
- Background check: Applicant cannot have been convicted of a felony in Minnesota or in any other jurisdiction
- Tests: Oral interview
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Visual acuity requirements are 20-100 uncorrected, correctable to 20-20 with glasses, hard contacts or soft contacts. Hearing assessment by an audiogram is required as part of the medical evaluation. Medical and psychological evaluations
Mississippi
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- Background check: Applicant cannot have any disqualifying criminal convictions or charges
- Tests: Computerized testing, structured oral process, polygraph and psychological screening
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Medical, vision, hearing evaluations
Missouri
- Background check: No felony convictions or crime involving moral turpitude
- Tests: Written examination, oral interview, job suitability test
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Visual acuity with spectacles or contact lenses 20/20 with both eyes. Medical and psychological evaluations
Montana
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- Background check: Candidate may not have been convicted of a crime for which he or she could have been imprisoned in a federal or state penitentiary.
- Tests: Written examination, oral interview
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements:Medical and psychological evaluations
Nebraska
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- Background check: Applicants cannot associate with persons, groups, or organizations under criminal investigation or indictment
- Tests: Written examination and oral interview
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Medical and psychological evaluations
Nevada
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- Background check: Conviction of a felony in the state of Nevada, or any offense in another state is a disqualifier
- Tests: Audio examinations and polygraph test.
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Medical and psychological evaluations
New Hampshire
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- Background check: Applicant disqualified if they have been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor.
- Tests: Written test, candidate review board interview
- Education: Associate’s degree or 60 credit hours from a recognized college, university or technical institute.
- Physical requirements: Must have at least 20/100 in each eye uncorrected and corrected to 20/40 (near vision) and 20/30 (distant vision) in each eye. Have normal hearing sufficient to perform essential job functions. Medical and psychological evaluations
New Jersey
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- Background check: Felony conviction is a disqualifier.
- Tests: Written examination, polygraph test, oral interview
- Education: Applicant must have a bachelor’s degree
- Physical requirements: Physical qualification test includes swimming requirement. Medical and psychological evaluations
New Mexico
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- Background check: Applicant convicted of an indictable offense or is under an indictment or was convicted of any offense involving domestic violence disqualified.
- Tests: Written exam
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Have vision correctable to 20/30. Medical and psychological evaluations
New York
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- Background check: A felony conviction is an automatic disqualification. .
- Tests: Written exam, interview with police chief
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Uncorrected – no worse than 20/100 in each eye able to be corrected to 20/20. Standard hearing thresholds for each ear. Medical and psychological evaluations
North Carolina
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- Background check: Conviction of a felony or other serious crime is an automatic disqualifier
- Tests: IO Solutions Online test, reading comprehension test, polygraph test, law enforcement candidate record test, oral interview
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Have 20/20 vision, or uncorrected vision of no more than 20/100 in each eye corrected to 20/20. Medical and psychological evaluations
North Dakota
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- Background check: Applicant has to have no felony or domestic violence convictions, nor have convictions for any crimes of moral turpitude. .
- Tests: National Police Officer Selection Test, oral interview, psychologist interview.
- Education: Bachelor’s degree from regionally accredited college or university or an associate’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university plus two years’ work experience dealing with public
- Physical requirements: Visual acuity of 20/30 (corrected) in each eye and normal color and depth perception. Medical and psychological evaluations
Ohio
- Background check: Conviction for aggravated vehicular homicide or aggravated vehicular assault a disqualifier
- Tests: Polygraph test
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Applicants must have uncorrected vision no worse than 20/100 in each eye separately, correctable to 20/20 monocular vision. Applicants must be able to perceive a stimulus within the frequency range 500 (Hz) to 3000 (Hz). Medical and psychological evaluations
Oklahoma
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- Background check: Felony conviction or under indictment disqualifies candidate
- Tests: Written exam
- Education: Possess an associate’s degree or have completed 62 hours from an accredited university or have completed 32 hours of study from an accredited university or college
- Physical requirements: Vision no worse than 20/70 uncorrected. You must be able to correct this to 20/20. Medical and psychological evaluations
Oregon
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- Background check: A felony conviction or misdemeanor conviction disqualifies candidate
- Tests: Entry-level testing, academic exam, medical screening, psychological exam and risk assessment, personal history questionnaire
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Corrected vision must be at least 20 â 30 when tested using both eyes together. Medical and psychological evaluations
Pennsylvania
- Background check: Criminal arrests/behavior disqualifies candidate
- Tests: Oral interview
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Vision must be certified by optometrist or ophthalmologist. Applicants must be able to pass audiometer screening conducted by an audiologist. Medical and psychological evaluations
Rhode Island
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- Background check: Felony convictions are a disqualifier
- Tests: Oral interview, medical examination, polygraph test, psychological evaluation
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Visual acuity of 20/40 (binocular vision) or better without correction, and visual acuity of 20/20 or better with corrective lenses. Normal hearing ability as determined by a division physician required. Medical and psychological evaluations
South Carolina
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- Background check: Any felony conviction (whether convicted as a juvenile or an adult)
- Tests: Written exam, polygraph test, oral interview
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: 20/20 vision or no more than 20/200 corrected to 20/100 or below. Medical and psychological evaluations
South Dakota
- Background check: Felony convictions are disqualifiers
- Tests: Written test, two interviews, polygraph exam.
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Must possess 20/20 binocular vision with or without corrective lenses. Hearing: The average decibel loss per ear must be no worse than 35 decibels for each ear uncorrected. Medical and psychological evaluations
Tennessee
- Background check: No felony convictions or a conviction of any misdemeanor considered to be of moral turpitude.
- Tests: Medical and psychological examinations
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Uncorrected no worse than 20/100 and corrected 20/20 in one and not worse than 20/30 in the other. Must not be color blind
Texas
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- Background check: Applicants with multiple traffic violations and felony charges will be disqualified
- Tests: Polygraph and written tests
- Education: Must have 60 college earned hours from an accredited college
- Physical requirements: Distant visual acuity of any degree that does not correct with spectacle lenses to at least one of the following: 20/40 in one eye and 20/70 in the other eye; 20/30 in one eye and 20/400 in the other eye; 20/20 in one eye and 20/400 in the other eye. Medical and psychological evaluations
Utah
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- Background check: Any felony conviction.
- Tests: Written exam
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Medical and psychological evaluations
Vermont
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- Background check: You must not have been convicted of any felonies.
- Tests: Written and polygraph test, workplace performance testing
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Must have uncorrected vision not worse than 20/200 (Snellen) and corrected 20/20 in one eye and not worse than 20/40 in the other eye. Hearing should be normal. Medical and psychological evaluations
Virginia
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- Background check: Have no felony convictions or disqualifying misdemeanors.
- Tests: Written exam
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: 20/20 binocular vision, corrected or uncorrected. Meet minimum requirements for color vision test with or without corrective lenses. Medical and psychological evaluations
Washington
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- Background check: Felony conviction is a disqualifier
- Tests: Oral interview, polygraph test
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Medical and psychological evaluations
West Virginia
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- Background check: Applicants cannot have prior felonies such as domestic convictions
- Tests: Written test, polygraph test, memory exams,
- Education: High school diploma or GED
- Physical requirements: Applicant’s uncorrected distant vision may be equal to but not worse than 20/100 in the weaker eye, and, shall be correctable to better than, or equal to 20/30 (Snellen) in each eye. Hearing is measured by use of an audiometer. Medical and psychological evaluations
Wisconsin
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- Background check: Applicants with felony convictions or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence convictions are not eligible for employment.
- Tests: Oral board interview, memory tests, polygraph test
- Education: Two-year associate’s degree from an accredited technical college or a minimum of 60 college-level credits from an accredited university
- Physical requirements: Minimum uncorrected vision is 20/100 in each eye, correctable to 20/20 with glasses, hard contacts, or soft contacts. Hearing assessment by an audiogram is required. Medical and psychological evaluations
Wyoming
- Background check: Applicants must not have felonies
- Tests: Written test, oral board interviews, eye-detect testing
- Education: Associate’s degree or High School Diploma or Equivalent
- Physical requirements: Vision better than 20/100 and correctable to 20/20. Medical and psychological evaluations
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