How to Become a Police Officer in Alaska

Anchorage, Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska
Juneau, Alaska
Sitka, Alaska
Wasilla, Alaska

Becoming a Police Officer in Anchorage, Alaska

As the largest Police Department in the state of Alaska, the Anchorage Police Department handled over 12,600 crimes in 2010. Here you’ll find a step-by-step guide on how to become a police officer in Anchorage.

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10 Steps to Become a Police Officer in Anchorage:

Meet the Basic Qualifications and Submit Your Application
Written and Ergometrics Examinations
Physical Ability Test
Interview
Background Check
Polygraph Examination
Psychological Assessments
Medical Examination
Submission of Driver’s License and Driving Records
Attend Police Academy for Training

Step 1. Meet the Basic Qualifications for Anchorage Police Officer Candidacy and Submit Your Application

There are certain requirements that you must meet to be considered for jobs as a police officer in Anchorage:

You must have a high school education:
- GED
- High school diploma
- Equivalent
You must be at least 21 years by the time you apply.
You must have a valid driver’s license for Alaska by the time you are hired.
You must not have had any of the following convictions:
- Felony
- Misdemeanor: moral turpitude or dishonesty
- DWI: two within the previous 10 years
You must not have done the following with drugs:
- Marijuana: used within the past year
- Controlled substances: illegally sold, manufactured, used, or transported within the past 10 years.

You can apply online to become a police officer in Anchorage.

Step 2. Written and Ergometrics Examinations

If you stand out as a candidate once your basic qualifications, employment record, and driving and criminal history record have been reviewed, you will be invited to take a written examination that is scored pass/fail.

You will be given the Nelson-Denny Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Test. This is composed of two tests. First is a fifteen-minute test of multiple choice questions about 80 vocabulary words. Second is a twenty-minute test with 38 questions based on your having read five short segments of text. These questions are answered multiple choice. Once you have passed, your score is good for one year.

Next, you will take a video test that spends shows 54 vivid, realistic scenarios for 1.5 hours. After you have seen the video, you will face multiple-choice questions on how you would respond to the scenarios. You will also be expected to develop an incident observation report based on your viewing of a brief video related to police work.

Step 3. Physical Ability Test

After you have passed both the Ergometric and the Nelson-Denny testing, you will be able to take the physical ability test. Before you can take the test, you must turn in a form that certifies you are physically fit.

The components of this physical test involve:

Jumping vertical (best of three trials)
Push-ups
Sit-ups (number done in 1 min)
Running a mile and a half
Running 300 meters

Step 4. Interview

Once you have successfully completed your physical ability test, you will be offered conditional employment. You will then have a preliminary interview to discuss your background and assess your interview skills to see if you meet the standards to become a police officer in Anchorage.

Step 5. Background Check

After your interview, the department will critically examine your personal and past work history. Your records in the following areas will be checked:

Civil history
Credit history
Criminal history
Driving history
Employment history
Military history

The department will also interview your:

Co-workers
Employers
Neighbors
References
Spouses or significant others

Step 6. Polygraph Examination

Once the department is satisfied that you have the appropriate background to be a police officer in Anchorage, you will be given a polygraph examination.

Step 7. Psychological Assessments

After you have passed your polygraph examination, you will undergo two processes to ensure that you have the appropriate mental state to become a police officer in Anchorage. First, you will take a 4-8 hour written exam. Then, at a later date, you will be interviewed by a psychologist licensed in the State of Alaska.

Step 8. Medical Examination

Once you have passed your psychological assessments, the Police Chief will consider your application. Once you have been selected to become an Anchorage Police officer, the Municipal Employment Office will offer you conditional employment.

You must now be examined by a physician to ensure that you are sound physically and free of medical issues that could adversely affect your performance. Part of this exam involves being screened for drugs.

Step 9. Submission of Driver’s License and Driving Records

After you have been cleared by a physician and found to be free of drugs, you have to submit a copy of your driver’s license for Alaska and your driving records. If you received your license within a year of your application, you will need to provide your driving records from your previous state(s) of residence.

Step 10. Attend Police Academy for Training

Once you have provided a safe record of driving, you will be undergo 24 weeks of training at the Anchorage Police Department Academy for 11 hours a day from Mondays through Thursdays. You will not be housed at the Academy. Your training will involve thorough coursework, defensive training, and physical fitness training. You will be trained in Defensive Tactics for over 100 hours, including:

Baton training
Ground fighting skills
Handcuffing
OC spray

You will also be trained in the use of firearms, including a Remington 870 shotgun and a Glock pistol, for over 100 hours.

Coursework will include such topics as:

Domestic violence
DUI
Emergency vehicle operations
Law
- Municipal
- State

Officer survival training

Your physical training will involve:

Running
- 300 meters
- One and a half miles
Sit-ups
Pull-ups
Push-ups

Becoming a Police Officer in Fairbanks, Alaska

The Fairbanks Police Department answered over 117,000 dispatch calls in 2008 and responded to over 25,000 calls for police service that year, all in an effort to serve and protect the citizens who live and work in Fairbanks.

If you’re interested in joining the ranks of this highly respected police department, follow this guide to learn how to become a cop in Fairbanks by meeting established requirements.

Meet the Basic Qualifications
Submit Your Application
Submit Your Pre-Screening Requirements
Physical Fitness Test
Integrity and Written Examination
Interview
Background Check
Polygraph and Psychological Examinations

Step 1. Meet the Basic Qualifications for Fairbanks Police Officer Candidacy

There are certain requirements that you must meet to be considered for jobs as a police officer in Fairbanks:

You must possess or be able to obtain a Basic APSC certificate within 18 months of being employed.
You must be a U.S. citizen.
You must not have a history of emotional or mental disorders.
You must have normal color vision.
Your vision must be correctable to at least 20/30 in each eye.
You must have a valid Alaska driver’s license.
You must have graduated from a high school that has been accredited or have a GED.
You must not have had the following convictions:
- Any felony
- DWIs: 2 within the past 10 years
- Misdemeanor convictions for moral turpitude or dishonesty
You must not have used drugs in the following manner:
- Marijuana: used within the previous year
- Controlled substances: illegally used, manufactured, sold, or transported within the previous 10 years

Step 2. Submit Your Application

To obtain a position as a police officer in Fairbanks, you must submit your application starting with the Human Resources employment page.

Step 3. Submit Your Pre-Screening Application

After you have submitted your application, you will be e-mailed a testing packet of requirements for the position. You will have to provide the following forms:

Liability waiver
Physician’s release
Standards questionnaire for APSC/FPD
Typing test copy
- You must be able to type 35 words per minute with 5 or fewer errors.
- You can take the 1 min test at typingtest.com.

Step 4. Physical Fitness Test

Once you have been approved as an applicant, you will take a three part physical fitness test. You will have to pass each section before you can proceed further with the testing. The test will involve:

Doing 25 push-ups
Running 300 meters in 71 sec
Running 1.5 miles in 15:54

Step 5. Integrity and Written Examination

After you have passed each phase of the physical fitness test, you will be given a test to examine your level of integrity. Once you have passed your integrity test, you will be given a written test. The test is the National Criminal Justice Officer Inventory. You can obtain a practice test for this exam. You can save $5 on the cost of the exam with the code FAPD10.

Step 6. Interview

Once you have passed your written test, you will be notified within a few days of the time of your interview with an oral board. You can expect your interview to take about two hours.

Step 7. Background Check

After your interview has proceeded successfully, the department will examine your background to make sure that you are suitable as a candidate for a position as a police officer in Fairbanks.

Step 8. Polygraph and Psychological Examinations

Once your background has been found to be acceptable, you will be examined with a polygraph. You will also have to pass a psychological screening to become a police officer in Fairbanks.

Becoming a Police Officer in Juneau, Alaska

The Juneau Police Department received nearly 35,000 calls for service in 2010 and had a clearance rate higher than the national average in every category. This is extremely impressive for a department of its size.

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Becoming a Police Officer in Sitka, Alaska

The crime rate in Sitka has been decreasing over the past several years, thanks in large part to the efforts of the proud members of the Sitka Police Department. If you’d like to help make Sitka a safer place for residents to live in work, follow these steps to become a police officer in Sitka, Alaska.

Meet the Basic Qualifications
Submit Your Application
Written Examination and Physical Fitness Test
Interview
Polygraph Examination
Psychological Examination
Background Check
Attend Police Academy for Training

Step 1. Meet the Basic Qualifications for Sitka Police Officer Candidacy

There are certain requirements that you must meet to be eligible for open police officer jobs in Sitka:

You must be a U.S. citizen.
You must have a high school diploma or GED.
You must be at least 21 years old at the time you are appointed.
You cannot have any of these convictions:
- Felony
- Misdemeanor crime of moral turpitude or dishonesty within the past 10 years
- DWI: two within the past 10 years
You must not have used marijuana within the past year.
You must not have illegally sold, manufactured, or transported a controlled substance within the past 10 years.

It is preferred that you have one of the following:

Associate’s degree: criminal justice or a related field and law enforcement experience
An equivalent combination of training and experience

Step 2. Submit Your Application

You must use an F-3 application obtained from the Alaska Police Standards Council.

Return it to:

City of Sitka Utilities Office
100 Lincoln Street
Room 102
Sitka, AK 99835

If you have any questions, you can call 907-747-3349.

You have the option of scheduling your written and physical tests online.

Step 3. Written Examination and Physical Fitness Test

You will to take the basic examinations to see if you meet the initial standards to become a police officer in Sitka. Taking the physical fitness test involves

Doing as many push-ups as possible without stopping
- You must do at least 25
Doing as many sit-ups as possible in one minute
- You must do at least 27
Running 1.5 miles over a course in at least 15:12

Step 4. Interview

Once you have passed your written and physical tests, you will be scheduled for an interview that will help to assess your candidacy.

Step 5. Polygraph Examination

After you have passed your interview, you will take a polygraph examination.

Step 6. Psychological Examination

Once you have passed your polygraph examination, you will be examined by a psychologist as one of the final steps in determining whether or not you are suited to be a police officer in Sitka.

Step 7. Background Check

After passing your psychological examination, the department will investigate many facets of your background. Your fingerprints will be submitted to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Your history will be checked through APSIN and NCIC. Your references and previous employers will be examined.

Step 8. Attend Police Academy for Training

Once you have passed your background check, you will be sent for 15 weeks of training to the Department of Public Safety Academy in Sitka. This is one of the nation’s premier law enforcement training facilities. Your paramilitary style training will meet the requirement of the Alaska Police Standards Council and will involve:

Criminal investigation
Laws
Physical skills
Police Procedure

Becoming a Police Officer in Wasilla, Alaska

The 24 sworn officers of the Wasilla Police Department handled over 23,000 calls for service in 2011. This busy department stands for justice and keeps a watchful eye on its community.

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