In order to be admitted to the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program, an applicant who is employed as a law enforcement officer must meet the standards below. In the case of a person not yet employed as a law enforcement officer, the applicant must meet the standards set forth below as determined by a Selection Committee established by the Board of Trustees.
- Shall be a high school graduate, or have scored as follows on the General Education development Test:
- not lower than 35 on any one of the 5 parts, and
- an average not lower than 45 for all 5 parts
- Shall be at least 21 years of age. unless the applicant has an associates degree or 60 credit hours of post secondary education in which case the applicant must be at least 20 years of age.
- Shall submit the medical certificate provided by the Academy, signed by a licensed physician indicating that the applicant is physically and medically fit to undergo physical training at the Academy.
- Shall meet the physical fitness standards as established by the Board of Trustees.
- Should have no convictions for Murder, Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D crime; or convictions for any violation of the Maine Criminal Code, chapters 15, 19, 25 or 45, or a conviction for any equivalent crime in another jurisdiction outside the State of Maine. An agency may make application to the Board of Trustees for a waiver of this provision providing a conditional offer of employment has been made in writing.
- Should not have engaged in any conduct that is penalized in this state as Murder, Class A, Class B, Class C, or Class D crime, or any provision of the Maine Criminal Code, chapters 15, 19, 25 or 45; or engaged in such conduct in another jurisdiction outside the State of Maine, unless that conduct is not punishable as a crime under the laws of that jurisdiction. An agency may make application to the Board of Trustees for a waiver of this provision providing a conditional offer of employment has been made in writing.
- Shall complete a state and federal criminal records check through the submission of fingerprints to the State Bureau of Identification and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- Shall possess a valid motor vehicle operator's license. If such license is not a Maine license at the time of admission to the Academy, the applicant shall obtain a State of Maine license within the time limits prescribed by Maine law.
- Shall be able to read and write at a level necessary to master the law enforcement basic training course as determined by the use of a reading and writing test.
- Shall be of good moral character, as determined by a thorough background investigation by the hiring agency; or in the case of a person not yet employed, by the Academy Selection Committee, after review of the background investigation conducted by a licensed investigator approved by the Board of Trustees.
- Shall complete to the satisfaction of the employer, or in the case of a person not yet employed, to the Academy Selection Committee, a polygraph examination conducted by a polygraph examiner who is either licensed in the State of Maine or has been previously approved by the Board. The examination shall follow the guidelines in the "Police Applicant Polygraph Testing" manual as approved by the Board.
- Shall undergo, and complete to the satisfaction of the employer, or in the case of a person not yet employed, to the Academy Selection Committee, an evaluation of the applicant's suitability to work as a law enforcement officer by a licensed psychologist or licensed psychological examiner with experience in psychological screening in the field of law enforcement. The evaluation shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees and shall include, at a minimum, an evaluation of the following characteristics: anxiety, mood, anger, anti-social characteristics, ability to accept criticism, ability to communicate, assertiveness, self confidence, ability to get along with others, judgment and verbal skills.
- Shall complete an oral interview by the hiring agency or in the case of a pre-employment candidate, by a panel appointed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees representing state, municipal, and county, law enforcement agencies.
- Shall not falsify or misrepresent any information during the application process, background investigation, or polygraph examination.
Basic Law Enforcement Training Program
- Application for Waiver of the BLETP (Word)
- Tuition Application Package (PDF)
- 40% Entrance and 50% Exit PT Standards Effective 10/01/2013 (Word)
- BLETP - Polygraph Psychological Examiners for BLETP (PDF)
- Pre Employment Polygraph Report Form (Word)
- Agency BLETP Application Packet (Word)
- Physical Fitness Application Form (BLETP Candidate) (PDF)
- Fitness Assessment Readiness Form (PAR-Q) 2023 (PDF)
- Weapons data sheet (Word)
- Reimbursement rates for Basic Law Enforcement Training Program (Word)