California Police Academy Requirements and California Police Officer Qualifications

Age- 20-35 years of age (as of written test date).

Vision- The candidate must read from a standard Eye Test chart. If eyeglasses or hard contact lenses are worn, uncorrected vision must be no less than 20/40 in each eye and corrected to 20/20 in each eye. Applicants who have successfully worn soft contact lenses for the past 12 months are not required to meet an uncorrected standard, as long as their corrected vision is 20/20 in each eye. Normal color vision is required as assessed by the Farnsworth-Munsell D-15 test. An X-Chrom Lens is prohibited.

Health Good health. Must be free from any physical, mental or emotional condition that would prohibit the full performance of all the essential duties and functions of a CHP officer.

Education- High school diploma, GED, or California High School Proficiency Examination.   Highly desirable: possession of a degree, Associate of Arts or higher, from an accredited college; also, additional course work or advanced skills in the following areas: English, including grammar, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary and composition; reading and comprehension; mathematics (used for traffic accident calculations); typing and computer skills (many officers use computers for reports, and most patrol vehicles currently have or will have computers); bilingual; physical fitness; other helpful courses may be social sciences such as sociology and psychology.

Conduct- No felony convictions and good personal conduct; must possess a California driver license upon appointment to the Academy. The CHP has strict guidelines relating to the personal characteristics required for employment as a law enforcement officer. During the QAP Oral Interview, and later during the Background Investigation, a candidate is evaluated relative to an established set of automatic disqualification criteria. Candidates are asked questions relating to the REGENCY AND FREQUENCY of traffic citations, at-fault automobile collisions, illegal drug usage, arrests and convictions.

Citizenship- United States Citizen or permanent resident immigrant who is eligible and has applied for citizenship; must be a United States citizen at time of appointment