17 Institute Drive, Concord, NH 03301-7413
ARTICULABLE SUSPICION is
published by the NH Police Standards & Training Council, 17 Institute
Drive, Concord, NH 03301-7413. The opinions expressed herein are those
of the authors and not necessarily the Council’s or NH Police Association,
and we take no responsibility for the accuracy of the items excerpted
from other sources.
ARTICULABLE
SUSPICION
ELECTRONIC EDITION
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POLICE CERTIFICATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
The NH Police Standards& Training Council, or POST agency, is the gateway
to police certification in our state, and sets minimum entry and training
standards, which most New Hampshire agencies strive to exceed. POLICE CERTIFICATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
If you've never been a police officer, you must attend our 12-week, residential police academy, where you stay on campus, and pass all aspects of the program – academics, physical training, firearms, defensive tactics, driving, etc.
If you are certified full-time in another state by their POST agency and attended an academy in that state, and your certification has not expired, you may qualify for a lesser amount of New Hampshire training, such as the 100-hour "Law Package". If you are hire by a NH police department they will submit to the POST a copy of your out-of-state certification and a detailed description of the curriculum at the out-of-state academy that you attended. If it is deemed equivalent, you take 100 hours of training in New Hampshire, if not, you may have to take additional training up to and including the entire New Hampshire academy.
New Hampshire does not recognize military training or federal law enforcement training as equivalent to a civilian academy, and requires full New Hampshire academy attendance in such cases.
If you attended a civilian academy as a tuition student but have never worked as a police officer in that state, it is also likely that you will be required to attend the entire New Hampshire academy.
To enter our academy, even as a "Law Package" student, you must pass a comprehensive medical examination, drug screening test, and a physical fitness test consisting of pushups, sit-ups, bench press, and 1.5-mile timed run, to the Cooper Aerobics Institute's 35th percentile standards, and full-time academy recruits must pass a final exit test at the 50th percentile. All officers hired after January 1, 2001, will be required to pass ongoing medical exams and physical fitness tests every three years throughout their careers.
If you have been convicted of a felony, any crime where you received suspended or imposed jail time, a misdemeanor or violation that cast doubt on your credibility or fitness (including DWI), or a series of minor infractions, that demonstrate a disregard for the law, you cannot be hired as a law enforcement officer in New Hampshire. If you were discharged from the military service under less than honorable conditions, ever sold drugs, are a current, recent past, or once frequent user of illegal drugs such as to cast doubt on your honesty and integrity, you are ineligible to serve. If you were ever discharged from police employment or subject of a negotiated resignation for serious misconduct or any moral or ethical reason, you are ineligible to serve. New Hampshire agencies must conduct a thorough background and fingerprint check on all applicants, which in most cases means personal visits by an investigator to your home state.
The New Hampshire Police Standards & Training Council's address is 17 Institute Drive, Concord, New Hampshire 03301-7413.
