State Trooper/Trooper Recruit (26-03)

About the role

The Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking qualified applicants to attend the DPS Training Academy beginning January 2027 and July 2027. Successful candidates will be appointed as an Alaska State Trooper Recruit or Alaska State Trooper, depending on qualifications. You will receive high-caliber training at no expense and will earn wages and benefits while attending the academy.

Responsibilities

• Work in a wide variety of law enforcement fields.
• Enforce the law, prevent and detect crime, protect life and property, and preserve Alaska’s resources.
• Engage in a wide variety of career choices based on diverse assignments and locations.

Requirements

• Must be conversant in both spoken and written English.
• Must be 21 years of age or older at the start of the academy.
• Must possess a high school diploma or have passed a General Education Development (GED) test.
• Not disqualified from any portion of a prior background investigation for this job class in the last twelve months.
• Must not have used, transported, or purchased schedule IA, IIA, IIIA, IVA, or VA controlled substances during the last ten years (unless under the age of 21 at the time of use AND the act occurred more than 3 years from date of application OR there was an immediate, pressing, or emergency medical circumstance to justify the use of a prescription controlled substance not prescribed to the person).
• Must not have used marijuana during the past twelve months.
• Must not illegally manufacture, transport, or sell a controlled substance (unless under 21 at the time of the act AND the act occurred more than 10 years ago).
• Not received more than three fish and wildlife enforcement citations within the three years before the date of this application.
• Not currently on court-ordered probation, either supervised or non-supervised.
• Not convicted of a felony whether set aside, suspended imposition, expunged, or pardoned, excluding juvenile adjudications.
• Not convicted of a misdemeanor crime that resulted in serious physical injury to another person in the last ten years.
• Not convicted of a misdemeanor crime, reduced or related, to domestic violence whether set aside, suspended imposition, expunged, or pardoned.
• Not convicted of more than one Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or chemical test refusal offenses in the last ten years.
• Not convicted of a misdemeanor crime of dishonesty or moral turpitude in the last ten years.
• Not convicted of more than two misdemeanors in the last ten years (unless under the age of 21 at the time of the acts AND three years have lapsed since the most recent act).
• Never denied certification or had basic certification revoked by the Alaska Police Standards Council or the responsible certifying agency in any other issuing jurisdiction (unless the denial or revocation has been rescinded by the council under 13 AAC 85.270 or by the responsible certifying agency of the issuing jurisdiction).
• Never discharged or resigned under threat of discharge, for cause relating to dishonesty or misconduct, from employment as a police officer in this state or any other state or territory.
• Not illegally manufactured, distributed, or sold a controlled substance while employed as a peace officer or in a position associated with law enforcement.

Qualifications

• Must be a citizen of the United States of America.
• Must possess a high school diploma recognized by a state, diploma from a home school program recognized or certified by a state or by a local school district within a state as having met the state's graduation requirements, or has passed a General Education Development (GED) test.
• Must be 21 years of age or older at the time of Academy.
• Must possess a valid driver's license.

Skills

• Strong communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented.
• Effective problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

Benefits

• High-caliber training at no expense.
• Earn wages and benefits while attending the academy.
• Award-winning career opportunities.
• Diverse assignments and locations.

Pay

Effective July 1, 2026, the wage for this position increased by 4%. The wage listed in this job posting reflects the increase.

Schedule

Positions in this class typically require working rotating shift schedules and shifts with nonstandard work hours.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for individuals who are conversant in both spoken and written English, are 21 years of age or older at the start of the academy, possess a high school diploma or have passed a General Education Development (GED) test, and do not have any disqualifications from a prior background investigation for this job class in the last twelve months.

Pre-Academy Hiring

The Alaska Department of Public Safety now offers a transformative opportunity for aspiring Alaska State Trooper Recruits through Pre-Academy Hiring, allowing applicants to be hired prior to the academy. This innovative approach aims to streamline the hiring process and expedite your appointment date.

Lateral Applicants

To meet lateral requirements, you must have twelve months of work experience as a police officer AND possession of an active police officer certificate issued by a jurisdiction outside the State of Alaska and recognized by the Alaska Police Standards Council, you will need to contact the Recruitment Unit at 907-269-5976 or dps.recruit@alaska.gov to start the lateral process.

Initial Physical Fitness Test

All applicants must successfully pass the initial physical fitness test to move forward in the application process. For more information on our fitness test standards, go to alaskastatetrooper.com/hiring-process/. Applicants will submit results via applicant tracking platform in the Agency Provided Documents section when completing their background investigation documents. Passing initial fitness test scores are valid for 6 months.

Documents to Collect to be Submitted with the Background Packet

• Scanned copy of Birth Certificate (if current name differs from that on the birth certificate, provide court documents showing name change).
• If naturalized, a scanned copy of the Naturalization Certificate with a photo.
• Certified official high school transcripts or GED certificate.
• Certified official College transcripts for all post-secondary education.
• Current and/or former police officers must provide basic police officer certification or equivalent POST Certification; additional law enforcement-related certifications; certificate of academy completion and course syllabus to include the number of hours; out-of-state applicants must provide a copy of their academy syllabus.
• Former military members must provide discharge or separation papers showing date and type of discharge for all periods of service for each branch of the military (i.e. DD-214 Long Form and NGB-22 Form, which include the Separation and Reentry codes).
• A DD-214 is not required to apply if you have not been discharged from active-duty service.
• Telephone numbers and physical addresses for your spouse/significant other and your ex-spouse(s)/ex-significant other(s).
• Any other law enforcement related certificates.
• Applicants who have received employment evaluations, or certifications you have received.
• Long form/lifetime driving record(s) from all states and U.S. territories in which you have ever held a driver's license and/or received a citation (whether convicted or not).
• Male applicants must go to https://www.sss.gov/to download their Selective Service Verification Letter.
• Initial Physical Fitness Test (signed by applicant and proctor).

Additional Required Information

All initial communication with applicants will be conducted via email. It is imperative that applicants provide a valid email address when applying and check email frequently during the application process. Applicants who have a change in email address during this application process must notify the Recruitment Unit immediately.