Delaware | Training to be a Police Officer

Delaware is a small state, and so there are less police officers across the state (only around 2,000 officers for the entire state of Delaware). In order to become a police officer in Delaware a person needs to meet the minimum state requirements for Delaware. Below lists some of the requirements that Delaware requires of all their cadets. This page also contains how much the average police officer in Delaware makes, and the training programs and academies for people who are looking for programs to train as police officers.

Delaware State Requirements

In Delaware a cadet applies with the different police academies. In order to qualify for acceptance into an academy training program a candidate must be at least 21 years old. They must also be a legal US citizen who holds a valid driver’s license. The minimum education requirement is that a candidate has either graduated high school with a diploma or have achieved their GED. Although this is the minimum requirement, most applicants would be better off having done some post high school education prior to applying for police training. This college level training will help with acceptance and will also increase starting pay for those who make it through academy and into the police force.

Once a cadet is accepted into a police academy more testing will be done to filter out students. Writing and reading tests will be given, as well as physical ability tests, a physical exam, vision, hearing and fitness tests; as well as critical thinking tests. Personality tests, background checks, fingerprinting and further background investigation will be done into each cadet’s life to check for moral character. Any felonies or even violent misdemeanors found would not allow a cadet to continue training.

After a cadet graduates from the academy they need to be field trained by a field training officer. This is an important part of training a Delaware police officer. After completion of all training a cadet would become a full-fledged police officer.

Average Salary for Police Officer Jobs in Delaware

The average police officer salary in Delaware is about 61,000 a year. This is quite a bit higher than the national average, however, there are less jobs available in Delaware so it is more difficult to obtain a full time position there. As for detectives and criminal investigators in Delaware, their average salary is between 90,000 and 100,000 per year depending on experience and rank. Pay increases happen yearly for Delaware police officers in most police departments. The more years of experience the better the pay. And as stated above, education can also gain you a higher rate of pay. This is why it may be a good option to pursue an associate’s or bachelor’s criminal justice degree (or a similar field of study) prior to training in the state of Delaware.

Police Academy Training Schools in Delaware

There are four different police academy training schools in Delaware. Depending on which route you want to take as an officer depends on which school you would apply to. If you are wanting to become a state trooper you would apply to the Delaware State Police Academy in Dover, Delaware. State troopers are trained to monitor high-way patrol and interstate crimes. If you are wanting to go the route of becoming a local police officer you should look into applying to either the Wilmington Police Academy or New Castle County Police Academy. Both of these Delaware police academies are fully equipped to offer training which will prepare cadets to act as local police officers, to serve and protect communities and people. The last academy in Delaware is the University of Delaware Law Enforcement Training Program in Wilmington. This University offers a combo of a college degree and full police training. This is a great a program for those cadets who are not quite sure what type of law enforcement work they want to go into.