Minimum Qualifications

The Colorado Springs Police Department conducts two processes to select Police Officer candidates. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements for the position they are applying for upon registration, unless otherwise noted.

Police Recruit

This position is for applicants that have no prior law enforcement experience, or less than three years of paid experience as a law enforcement officer. The minimum qualifications for Police Recruit are:

• You must be by the date of hire at least 21 years of age.
• You must not have been convicted of a felony.
• You must not have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
• You must not have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime that would affect your ability to certify with the Colorado Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board. Visit the POST website at www.ago.state.co.us/post/Misdemeanors.pdf for a list of misdemeanors that will preclude police officer certification.
• You must have by the date of hire an Associate Degree or 60 college semester hours. A national or regional accrediting organization recognized by the United States Department of Education must accredit the school or institution granting the degree or credits. Candidates that do not meet educational minimums upon application must submit a statement from their school confirming that they are currently enrolled in a course of study that will allow the candidate to meet the minimum qualifications upon date of hire.
• You must be by the date of hire a US citizen, permanent resident alien, temporary resident alien, applicant for temporary resident status, refugee or asylee. All applicants that are offered employment must provide documents to establish their identity and employment eligibility for authorization to work in the U.S.
• You must not have been released or discharged from the Armed Forces of the United States under dishonorable conditions.
• You must be in good physical condition and meet medical standards as established by the City of Colorado Springs Police Department.
• You must have and maintain a valid driver?s license

By date of hire, candidates that have been selected for employment must posses and maintain a valid Colorado driver's license.

Police Lateral Recruit

This position is for experienced police officers. In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications for Police Recruits, lateral police officer applicants must meet the following additional qualifications:

• You must be currently certified as a Level I Peace Officer in Colorado as defined by CRS Section 16-2.5-101, or similarly qualified as a Police Officer in another state or federal jurisdiction. Applicants that are serving or have served as military or security police in the Armed Forces do no meet this definition; therefore, they must apply as a Police Recruit. 
• You must have at least three years of paid police officer experience as a patrol officer within the last five years. The Department may waive the requirement to have served as a patrol officer in certain circumstances. Experienced officers that have served three years as a patrol officer, but have subsequently been appointed or promoted to Detective or promoted to a supervisory position, could also satisfy the requirement.

Speaking a second language is a desirable qualification for both recruit and lateral applicants.

Applicants may apply for one position or the other, but not both.

If you have any questions about your eligibility to apply as a Lateral Police Officer, please call (719) 444-7446 on weekdays between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm MST.

If you feel that you are qualified for one of these positions, the Applicant Registration Center.