• Becoming a police officer involves specialized training through an accredited police academy.Police officer at the scene of the Jeep and car road accident. image by Dragan Trifunovic from Fotolia.com
  
  Police officer training usually requires a high school education or GED equivalent and successful completion of college coursework in criminal justice. Each state has its own educational requirements for entry in the state police academies, but the basic requirement for all is a high school education. You must know in which state you wish to be an officer to find a school to attend for your police training.
  
  

Broward College

• Broward College, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is one example of a higher education institution that runs an accredited police officer training and certification program. The program, geared toward applicants who wish to receive a post-high school education focusing on law enforcement while also training for the police academy, requires that a police department refer you to the program. The Broward College training program accepts applicants from throughout the United States. Best suited for those who have been hired to be police officers but have yet to attend or pass training through a police academy, the program lasts 22 weeks. Coursework includes training in first aid, firearm usage, tactical training and other criminal justice topics. This is not an open enrollment program. A police department must have already hired you prior to your acceptance in this program.
  
  

Lorain County Community College:

• Lorain County Community College, located in Elyria, Ohio offers a police training academy that follows an open enrollment format. Open enrollment means that if you have a desire to become a police officer, you can apply to the college for acceptance into the program prior to being hired by a police department. The basic requirements for acceptance into the program mandate that the applicant have a high school education or GED equivalent, be at least 21 years of age, be a legal citizen of the United States, have no felony convictions in the state of Ohio within the past three years and possess a valid Ohio state driver's license. To enroll in the program, contact the college directly to request an enrollment package, which includes an application.
  
  

Glendale Community College

• Glendale Community College, located in Glendale, Arizona, offers a police training academy that allows for both open enrollment and department-sponsored attendees. This type of a dual approach ensures that applicants interested in becoming a police officer will be able to attend this program if they pass all entrance requirements. Both full-time and part-time training options exist, allowing attendees to fit academy training into their schedules, which can be particularly important for those who are not guaranteed a position upon completion of the training. Though the open enrollment and the sponsored program provide the same training, both are best suited for those seeking employment within the state of Arizona.