Police hiring process FAQ

The ASU Police Department accepts official application materials — a resume and cover letter — submitted for posted positions advertised through ASU’s Human Resources online application portal. 

Email the ASU Police Recruitment team for questions or more information.

Qualifications vary by position and are included in each posting. 

For sworn positions (Arizona peace officer) please review page 3, section R13-4-105 of the AZPOST rules which defines the minimum qualifications for certification. These qualifiers are applied without exception to all candidates for officer positions and are used as guidelines in hiring other department personnel. The police department does not hire anyone applying for a sworn position who has used marijuana within the last two years. 

For non-sworn positions please review the Rights and Responsibilities found towards the bottom of the Careers at ASU page. The police department does not hire anyone applying for a non-sword position who has used marijuana within the last year. 

Please email the ASU Police Recruitment team for more information.

Police officer recruits must be 21 by the time they complete a four-month-long police academy. There are no upper age limits for any positions. 

Tattoos: 

While on-duty, working off-duty or otherwise representing the department, all personnel are prohibited from exposing a tattoo or brand anywhere on the body, regardless of its location, that is:

• Obscene. 
• Offensive. 
• Racial. 
• Religiously discriminatory.
• Sexual. 
• Unprofessional. 

Command staff personnel retain final discretion when determining the appropriateness of exposed tattoos. Face, neck and hand tattoos that are visible are not permitted. If exposed, it needs to be covered. A left-hand or ring finger tattoo is permissible. 

Tattoos violating this policy must be covered while on duty or while representing the department and the university.

Facial hair:

Mustaches must be neatly trimmed, not extend downward from the corner or edges of the mouth and should not hang below the upper lip.

Police officers and police aides in uniform can wear a beard while on duty. Beards must be neatly trimmed while in uniform and shall not exceed the length of a three-quarter or number four with a beard-trimming device.

AZPOST is concerned with past illegal drug use because it demonstrates a willingness or propensity to do unlawful activities while showing a lack of respect for the law. However, AZPOST recognizes that many have experimented with marijuana or other illegal drugs.

Therefore, AZPOST has adopted an illegal drug usage standard that would not prevent a person from becoming a peace officer in Arizona.

• The standard for marijuana is that a person could not have used marijuana in the last two years.
• The standard for use of narcotics or other dangerous drugs are: 
  • A person could not have used it more than five times.
  • Use of dangerous or narcotic drugs more than once at the age of 21 or older are not eligible to become a police officer.

Refer to the AZPOST rules webpage for additional information on the minimum hiring standards for a peace officer.

The average hiring process takes between 4–6 months. However, the length of the hiring process depends on several variables, including:

• Availability.
• Steps involved.
• Type of position you are applying for.

If you do not meet the minimum qualifications, you may receive a system email within a few minutes of submitting your application materials.

Otherwise, all application materials are reviewed after the deadline, and the most highly qualified applicants are invited to participate in the first step of the hiring process within a couple of weeks.

You may be contacted by phone or email. Make sure to check your spam folder.

The physical assessment requires applicants for ASU police officer recruitment to complete the following:

• A 1.3 mile run in 13 minutes, 30 seconds.
• A minimum of 27 sit-ups in one minute.
• At least 18 pushups in one minute.

Those who pass each physical requirement advance to participate in the written assessment. 

In-state — lateral applicants are not required to complete a physical or written assessment.

Out-of-state — lateral applicants are required to pass the AZPOST waiver process. 

ASU police radio dispatchers and police records clerks do not have a physical assessment.

The ASU Police Department seeks to hire confident candidates with excellent communication skills who demonstrate an interest in working for ASU and can clearly articulate why they are a good fit for the position to which they’ve applied.

All candidates can learn more about the department by reviewing our recruiting brochure and basics, such as the following:

• Campus safety.
• Our mission and jurisdiction.
• Staffing.

Prepare to articulate that you have what it takes to do the job through specific examples or stories demonstrating your skills and abilities in answering behavioral interview questions.

If you’ve completed a related degree, share relevant specifics about your learning. If you have no related experience, talk about relevant transferable skills you’ve developed through work, school, volunteer or hobby experiences.

Interview Tips:

• Bring paper and writing utensils. 
  • Some questions have multiple parts. It may be helpful to take notes so can you answer the entire question.
• Details matter. 
  • Applicants should answer the questions as if the interview panel has not read a resume and knows nothing about the applicant.
• Feel free to ask for the question to be repeated.
• Take your time and listen to the question, prepare a thought, and then answer.

Interviewing is a skill that can be learned. Few people do well in an interview by just winging it.

If you graduated from a college or university, schedule a practice interview with their Career Services office.

If you’re an ASU student or alumni, visit the Career and Professional Development Services webpage.

If you didn’t attend college, use resources to develop your interviewing skills through Arizona Goodwill Career Centers or Workforce Development Centers.

Other tips for a successful interview process include:

• Learning about behavioral interviews.
• Preparing examples to give using the STAR format to prove that you’ve demonstrated those qualities in any type of setting.
  • School.
  • Volunteer.
  • Work.
• Researching the type of position in which you’re interested to learn about.

The most common reason for not passing an oral board interview is failure to provide specific examples that prove you have the abilities, knowledge or skills to succeed in the job.

Think about challenges you may encounter in this type of job, and be prepared to provide specifics about how you’ve dealt successfully with similar challenges.

You may reapply as soon as the next position is available.

The ASU Police Department is a full-service police agency that operates 24/7, including holidays. Initial campus and shift assignments are determined upon hire based on the department's needs. They are, after that, determined by an annual seniority-based bidding process for police officers and aides.

• Police radio dispatchers bid for shifts every six months.
• Police radio dispatcher positions are scheduled 24/7.
• Police records clerk positions are based in Tempe and work 8 a.m.–5 p.m.