How to become a police officer in Louisiana

Pay at the New Orleans Police Department

Each city and county sets its own pay. This is the official scale of the New Orleans Police Department, the largest city's agency.

NOPD recruiting site (City of New Orleans): 'The salary for Recruit candidates starts at $46,885 and rises to $62,992 per year after one year of service' ($64,992 with a qualified bachelor's degree), plus incentives for bilingual officers, college degrees and merit pay. Annual degree bonus $1,000 associate / $2,000 bachelor's / $3,000 master's or doctorate; $1,500 annual special pay in units such as FTO, SOD, K-9; 10% extra pay for detectives, academy instructors and hazard pay; uniform allowance $750/yr. No official top-of-scale figure found; the site points to a pay calculator.

Source:[joinnopd.org]

Pay for this work across Louisiana

Federal survey figures for police and sheriff's patrol officers in Louisiana, counting every employer in the state, public and private, so they differ from any one agency's pay scale above.

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates (all employers)[bls.gov]

Requirements

• All peace officers (R.S. 40:2402) must complete a POST-certified basic training course within one year of employment as a peace officer
• Certification requires passing every required block of instruction with 70% or better, the POST firearms qualification at 80% or higher, and the statewide POST certification exam at 70% or higher
• POST certification is revoked on conviction of malfeasance in office or of an offense restricting the constitutional right to bear arms; POST may revoke for a felony or a domestic abuse battery misdemeanor (R.S. 14:35.3) conviction
• POST does not publish a statewide minimum age, education or citizenship standard on its program page; these are set by the employing agency and civil service

Source:[lcle.la.gov]

Hiring process

1. Hire by a Louisiana law enforcement agency (agency/civil service application, testing and background)
2. POST-certified basic training academy (Level 1, at least 496 hours) within one year of employment
3. POST firearms qualification (80% or higher)
4. Statewide POST certification exam (70% or higher)
5. POST Level 1 certification

Source:[lcle.la.gov]

Entrance exam

Louisiana POST statewide certification examination. Required for POST certification at the end of basic training; passing grade 70% or higher. Military police stationed in Louisiana may certify by completing a basic course and passing the POST statewide examination.[lcle.la.gov]

Required training

496 hours minimum. POST Level 1 (Basic Law Enforcement Peace Officer): 'a training course with a minimum of 496 hours required for certification.' NOPD's own recruit academy is '27 weeks state-certified law enforcement training' (joinnopd.org).[lcle.la.gov]

Pension and retirement

• Plan: Municipal Police Employees' Retirement System of Louisiana (MPERS), Hazardous Duty Subplan
• Benefit formula: 3% of average final compensation (highest 60 successive or joined months) x years of creditable service, not to exceed 100% of average final compensation; members retiring with 30 or more years receive a 3 1/3% allowance
• When you can retire: Members hired on or after January 1, 2013 in the Hazardous Duty Subplan: age 55 with 12 years of creditable service, or any age with 25 years; early retirement with 20 years at any age, actuarially reduced from age 55

New members are in the Hazardous Duty Subplan if eligible for state supplemental pay. Employee contribution rate is at least 7.5% but not more than 10% depending on total contributions (2025 actuarial valuation). Early-retirement rule from the MPERS FAQ (https://lampers.org/faqs/). Every MPERS employer must enroll eligible employees.

Source:[lampers.org]