Police Officer

Police Officer Qualifications

Potential Police Officer applicants are asked to verify that they meet the following minimum requirements prior to submitting an application for employment:

• Be 21 years of age prior to completion of academy training
• Hold United States citizenship
• High School diploma or equivalent (30 college credits, approved military, corrections experience, or Delaware COPT certification is preferred, but not required)
• Possess a valid driver’s license with no suspensions within the last five years

Police Officer Hiring Process

1. Testing:
   

   Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and who apply by the closing date will be invited to the University of Delaware police officer testing. The testing will comprise of two sections:

   • Physical Fitness Test: Applicants are evaluated in the areas of aerobic capacity, strength, and endurance. Minimum requirements for the physical fitness test include Sit Ups (minimum of 28 completed in one minute), Push Ups (minimum of 24 completed in one minute) and a 1.5 Mile Run (maximum time to complete: 15:55).
   • Written Examination: The written examination is a 60 minute timed test divided into three sections: arithmetic (measures a person's ability to add, subtract, multiply, divide, determine percentages and calculate averages); reading comprehension (measures a person's ability to understand written words and the ideas associated with them); and grammar (measures a person's ability to spell and use grammar and punctuation correctly). Written examinations for all applicants will occur immediately following the physical fitness test.
2. Oral Board Interview:
   

   Applicants who successfully complete the written and physical fitness testing are placed on a "rolling" eligibility list for one year. Select applicants will be invited for an oral board interview. The oral board interview will be conducted by an oral board panel who measures the applicant's ability to communicate information or ideas to other people in the areas of reasoning, oral expression and comprehension.

3. Background Investigation:
   

   A comprehensive background investigation will be conducted on select applicants who successfully complete the interview portion of the process. Background investigations include interviews with the candidate's family, friends, neighbors, supervisors, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. The investigator will also verify the candidate's education, employment, military, financial, criminal and traffic history.

4. Command Staff Interview:
   

   Select applicants who successfully pass the background investigation may be invited to meet with our Executive Command Staff.

5. Conditional Employment Offer:
   

   Applicants selected for an available vacancy will be made a conditional offer of employment contingent upon successful completion of a psychological examination by a licensed psychologist designated by the department and a complete physical examination with a certified physician.

6. Final Employment Offer:
   

   Applicants selected for an available vacancy will be given a final offer letter containing start date and salary. This letter will need to be signed and returned prior to employee starting with the department. Police recruits will also need to sign and have notarized their training agreement.

7. Police Academy:
   

   Any applicant who is hired as a police officer recruit must attend the police academy. The only exception would be for the hiring of a police officer who is currently Delaware COPT certified.

Reapplication

Applicants that are unsuccessful at any stage of the selection process must reapply in order to be considered for future openings. If there are no current openings, interested applicants should send an email to jobs-udpd@udel.edu to be notified when the next process occurs.

The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity Employer which encourages applications from minority group members and women. Please see our Legal Notices page for more information.