35-8-8. Requirements for appointment or certification of persons as peace
officers; certification of applicants possessing special skills in training and handling
of police dogs.
(a) Any person employed or certified as a peace officer shall:
(1) Be at least 18 years of age;
(2) Be a citizen of the United States;
(3) Have a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent;
(4) Not have been convicted by any state or by the federal government of any crime the
punishment for which could have been imprisonment in the federal or state prison or
institution nor have been convicted of sufficient misdemeanors to establish a pattern of
disregard for the law, provided that, for purposes of this paragraph, violations of
traffic laws and other offenses involving the operation of motor vehicles when the
applicant has received a pardon shall not be considered;
(5) Be fingerprinted for the purpose of conducting a
fingerprint based search at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation to determine the existence of any criminal record;
(6) Possess good moral character as determined by investigation under procedure
established by the council;
(7) Have an oral interview with the hiring authority or its representative to
determine the applicant's appearance, background, and ability to communicate;
(8) Be found, after examination by a licensed physician or surgeon, to be free from
any physical, emotional, or mental conditions which might adversely affect his exercising
the powers or duties of a peace officer; and
(9) Successfully complete a job related academy entrance examination provided for and
administered by the council in conformity with state and federal law. Such examination
shall be administered prior to entrance to the basic course provided for in Code Sections
35-8-9 and 35-8-11. The council may change or modify such examination and shall establish
the criteria for determining satisfactory performance on such examination. Peace officers
who do not perform satisfactorily on the examination shall be ineligible to retake such
examination for a period of six months after an unsuccessful attempt. The provisions of
this paragraph establish only the minimum requirements of academy entrance examinations
for peace officer candidates in this state; each law enforcement unit is encouraged to
provide such additional requirements and any preemployment examination as it deems
necessary and appropriate.
(b) Any person authorized to attend the basic training course prior to
employment as a peace officer shall meet the requirements of this Code section
with the exception of paragraph (7) of subsection (a) of this Code section.
History (Ga. L. 1970, p. 208, § 8; Ga. L. 1973, p. 539, § 1; Ga. L. 1976, p. 1563,
§ 1; Ga. L. 1976, p. 1684, §§ 3, 4; Ga. L. 1977, p. 712, § 1; Ga. L. 1977, p. 1180,
§§ 1, 2; Ga. L. 1982, p. 3, § 35; Ga. L. 1987, p. 3, § 35.)
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