SPD Recruiters
The Seattle Police Department's Recruiting Unit is designed to assist applicants with questions that are NOT answered on this web site.

The office is staffed from Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PST and every attempt is made to answer phone calls personally.

Freqently Asked Questions:

Are there any age or physical limitations on
who can apply for the job?
You must be at least 20.5 years of age to be hired; there is no maximum age limit.  Candidates often worry about their height, weight, vision, hearing or health history.  As long as you are fit enough to take and pass the physical ability test, get through the Academy and are able to perform all the functions of day-to-day police work – there are no physical limitations on who can apply.

Are your officers required to be residents of Seattle?
No.

Do most of your officers come from the
same kind of background?
No, the backgrounds of our officers are varied and diverse.  Many of our officers have decided to proudly continue a family tradition of service. Many others have wanted to be police officers ever since they can remember and come to the department with college degrees in Criminal Justice. Others have a prior military background, or have transferred to the department as a lateral hire from another agency. Many of our officers have decided to go into policing as a second or third career.

I've already chosen another career path. When is it too late to go into policing?
It is never too late to start your career in policing.  Many of our officers have had other careers, and their prior fields have been as diverse as social work, piloting commercial aircraft, information technology, law practice, engineering and professional athletes.   Many of our officers go into policing because they want a job where they can see immediate results of their efforts and make a difference to people everyday.

Is there any way to skip some of the training?
The only way to fast-track some of your training is if you meet the criteria of a lateral or exceptional entry candidate.

Is there any way to skip patrol and go directly into a specialty unit?
No. Both entry-level and lateral candidates must have 3 years as a patrol officer before transfers or promotions.  Having experience with the unpredictable and diverse nature of events that come with patrol work is absolutely vital background knowledge before making a transition to any other type of police work.   Modern policing is very complex and every city is very different so it is also important that you learn the specifics of this department and this city before any transfers. 

People choose to go into policing because they love the job.  In fact, many patrol officers find that they love the work so much that they choose to stay in patrol for their entire career.  If you are not interested in patrol work at all and only want to be part of an advanced specialty unit, you are probably not ready to realistically consider a career in policing.

I was in the Military/Military Police. Will that speed up my training or advancement process?
Prior military or military police training does not count as prior law enforcement training, and you will be considered an Entry Level candidate. However, please note that the Seattle Police Department is an approved agency for G.I. Bill Benefits.

I used to work in security or had a prior career/training that I think is applicable to the job. Can I skip some training or move into a specialty unit?
No.  You will probably find that some of your skills from prior careers are useful when working as a police officer, however, the only career that is applicable to this job is as a current certified law enforcement officer with a different agency.