To work as a peace officer in Wyoming, you have to be certified by the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission. The Wyoming peace officer certification requirements come down to five things: meeting the statutory eligibility standards, passing medical, psychological, and fitness screening, completing an approved basic training academy, passing written and practical exams, and keeping your certification current through continuing education every two years.
Who Certifies Wyoming Peace Officers
The POST Commission sits within the Attorney General’s Office and holds authority over training standards, academy approval, instructor certification, and officer discipline under Wyoming Statutes 9-1-701 through 9-1-708. The commission’s director issues certificates to officers who finish approved training and can recommend denial, suspension, or revocation when something goes wrong.1Justia Law. Wyoming Statutes 9-1-703 – Director; Appointment; Term Every hire by a Wyoming law enforcement agency runs through this system.
Eligibility Before You Can Start
Wyoming Statute 9-1-704 sets the baseline. You must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen, and hold a high school diploma or GED. Most hiring agencies set their own floor at 21.
A background investigation follows. A felony conviction is a permanent bar, because federal law prohibits anyone convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing firearms, and you cannot do the job without one.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Lesser offenses involving dishonesty, like fraud or perjury, can also disqualify you.
Medical, Psychological, and Drug Screening
You will take medical evaluations covering vision, hearing, and general health, plus a psychological evaluation conducted by a licensed psychologist. These happen after a conditional offer of employment, in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Drug screening is mandatory, and a positive result ends the process.
Fitness Standards
The Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy uses Cooper Institute benchmarks for entry. You will be tested on maximum sit-ups in one minute, maximum push-ups in one minute, and a timed 1.5-mile run. There are two ways to pass: score at or above the 40th percentile in every category, or average at or above the 50th percentile across the three with no single category below the 25th percentile.3Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy. Fitness Standards The second path means you can be weaker in one area if the other two carry you, as long as you clear the floor.
The Basic Academy
The Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy in Douglas is the main training facility. The basic peace officer course covers Wyoming criminal statutes, arrest procedure, search and seizure, use of force, defensive tactics, firearms, and emergency vehicle operations. Landmark decisions shape the legal instruction: Graham v. Connor for the objective-reasonableness use-of-force standard, Miranda v. Arizona for custodial interrogation. Scenario work runs throughout, and de-escalation training is woven across the program rather than taught as a single block.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol runs a separate 20-week Trooper Basic Academy, which is longer than the standard WLEA course because it adds patrol-specific content.4Wyoming Highway Patrol. FAQ
Who Pays
You do not pay academy tuition out of pocket. Officers attending an authorized training program receive their regular wages from the employing agency for the entire course, and the employer reimburses reasonable expenses, with the employer deciding what counts as reasonable.5Justia Law. Wyoming Statutes 9-1-705 – Peace Officer Attending Authorized School or Training Program That means getting hired comes before the academy, not after. If you are not yet employed by a Wyoming agency, you cannot simply enroll on your own.
Written and Practical Exams
Graduation requires passing both a written exam and practical evaluations. The written test covers constitutional law, Wyoming statutes, and departmental policy, with scenario-based questions that force you to apply the rules rather than recite them.
The practical side has three components:
- Firearms qualification under POST standards in live-fire courses that vary lighting, distance, and stress.
- Defensive tactics, including control holds, ground defense, and restraint techniques tested against resisting role players.
- Emergency vehicle operations, where you demonstrate pursuit handling and defensive driving.
Once you pass every component, the POST director issues your certificate.1Justia Law. Wyoming Statutes 9-1-703 – Director; Appointment; Term POST regulations also recognize a temporary certification category that lets a newly hired officer work under supervision while awaiting full certification. Specific conditions vary by agency.
Keeping Your Certification Active
Certified officers must complete continuing education every two years. POST sets the priorities, which typically include legislative updates on new or amended Wyoming statutes, crisis intervention, and de-escalation refreshers. You can also pursue specialized coursework in areas like drug interdiction or human trafficking investigations.
Falling short can lead to suspension.6Cornell Law Institute. 015-8 Wyoming Code R 8-3 – Other Grounds for the Denial, Suspension, or Revocation of Certification Agencies track compliance for their officers and POST audits the records, so document your hours as you complete them. Officers sometimes get caught not because they skipped the training but because the paperwork never caught up.
Endorsements for Specialized Roles
Beyond basic certification, Wyoming offers endorsements for officers who want to work in specialized assignments. Each one requires POST-approved training and testing on top of the basic academy, and each requires periodic recertification. Let one lapse and you cannot perform those duties until you re-qualify.
- Field training officer, who mentors and evaluates new recruits during a probationary period that typically runs about 14 weeks of supervised field work after graduation.7City of Douglas, Wyoming. Hiring Process: What to Expect?
- K-9 handler, where officer and dog train and certify as a team.
- Drug recognition expert, used in DUI cases where alcohol alone does not explain the impairment.
- SWAT, with high-risk operations coursework and ongoing qualification.
What Can Cost You Your Certification
POST can deny, suspend, or revoke certification on several grounds laid out in Wyoming’s administrative rules:
- Willfully falsifying information to obtain or maintain certification.
- Committing any criminal offense, not just felonies.
- Unlawful use, possession, or distribution of controlled substances, or being under the influence of alcohol on duty.
- A physical or mental condition that substantially limits essential duties or poses a direct threat to public or officer safety.
- Conduct that undermines public confidence, including sexual harassment, discriminatory conduct, and falsified reports.
- Failing to meet minimum training requirements.6Cornell Law Institute. 015-8 Wyoming Code R 8-3 – Other Grounds for the Denial, Suspension, or Revocation of Certification
Felony convictions trigger automatic decertification because the federal firearms prohibition makes the job impossible.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Misdemeanor convictions are reviewed individually, but a domestic violence misdemeanor carries the same firearms bar and the same result. Officers facing revocation can request a hearing before the commission, which makes the final decision on the director’s recommendation.
If You Are Already Certified in Another State
Out-of-state officers can qualify for Wyoming Professional Peace Officer Certification through POST, but you do not get a free pass. POST has to review your prior training and experience and decide whether it aligns closely enough with Wyoming standards. If it does, you may skip the full basic academy. If it does not, you will need additional coursework or the full academy.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol illustrates how this works in practice. Experienced officers who qualify for its Trooper II position complete a six-week accelerated onboarding academy instead of the full 20-week trooper course.4Wyoming Highway Patrol. FAQ To find out whether your credentials qualify, call the POST office at (307) 358-8213 before you start the hiring process with any Wyoming agency.