LA State Police key terms

State credential issued by the Louisiana Peace Officer Standards and Training Council confirming an officer meets statutory training and standards requirements to serve as a peace officer.

Louisiana body that sets minimum selection and training standards for law enforcement officers and certifies academies and curricula statewide.

Entry-level residential or commuter training program that recruits must complete before receiving peace officer certification, covering law, defensive tactics, firearms, and physical fitness.

A recruit enrolled in the training academy who has not yet graduated or been certified as a peace officer.

Removal of a cadet from the training program for academic failure, misconduct, injury, or fitness shortfalls, which typically ends the conditional employment offer.

Structured retraining or retesting offered to a cadet who fails an academic or performance standard, allowing one chance to meet the requirement before dismissal.

Status assigned to a cadet whose test average falls below the passing threshold, requiring improvement within a set period to remain enrolled.

The lowest examination percentage a cadet must earn on a written test to receive credit for that block of instruction.

Written test administered at the end of a subject block such as criminal law or traffic investigation, measuring retention of that block's curriculum.

Hands-on scored assessment of a cadet's performance in skills such as firearms qualification, defensive tactics, or emergency vehicle operation.

Scored live-fire course of fire a cadet must pass with a service weapon, covering accuracy, reloading, and safe handling under time pressure.

Driving track instruction and evaluation teaching pursuit driving, braking, cornering, and vehicle control, with a scored pass standard.

Instruction in control holds, takedowns, handcuffing, and subject control techniques that cadets must demonstrate safely and effectively.

Curriculum covering legal standards for force, de-escalation, and agency policy, tested through written examination and scenario evaluation.

Simulated field incidents in which cadets apply law, communication, and tactics while instructors score decision-making and safety.

Post-academy phase in which a certified graduate rides with an experienced field training officer and is evaluated on real calls for service.

Experienced officer assigned to supervise, coach, and document a probationary trooper's performance during field training.

Time after hire during which a new trooper's employment remains conditional and performance is formally reviewed before permanent status.

Academy staff member responsible for cadet discipline, scheduling, records, and communication between instructors and the recruit class.

Mandatory continuing education that certified officers complete annually to maintain certification and learn updated law and tactics.

Recurring instruction on new statutes, court decisions, and policy changes affecting an officer's duties, required for continued certification.

Statutory baseline requirements such as age, citizenship, education, and license status that an applicant must meet before being considered for hire.

Rule that applicants must be United States citizens to be appointed as a Louisiana state police officer.

Minimum age an applicant must reach before appointment, commonly twenty-one, verified through official identification documents.

Minimum schooling level, typically a high school diploma or equivalent, that an applicant must document to be eligible for hire.

Thorough inquiry into an applicant's criminal record, employment history, finances, references, and character conducted before a hiring decision.

A conviction, conduct history, or condition that automatically bars an applicant from employment, such as a felony conviction or domestic violence conviction.

Instrumented truth-verification interview used during screening to examine an applicant's honesty about background, drug use, and criminal history.

Licensed examiner's assessment of an applicant's personality, judgment, and emotional stability to determine suitability for police work.

Physician's review of an applicant's health and physical ability to perform officer duties, conducted after a conditional offer of employment.

Timed assessment of strength, endurance, and agility, such as push-ups, sit-ups, and a distance run, that applicants must pass.

Review of an applicant's financial history used to assess responsibility and vulnerability to compromise, often part of the background investigation.

Rule that an applicant hold and maintain a valid Louisiana driver's license to operate agency vehicles and remain eligible for employment.

Job offer contingent on passing remaining screening steps such as medical, psychological, and polygraph examinations before a final appointment.

An applicant who has accepted a conditional offer and is scheduled to enter or has entered the training academy.

Collection of required forms, transcripts, identification, and releases an applicant submits to begin the hiring process.