By: Kendall Upton
Updated: January 14, 2026
Learn how to become a police officer in Maryland
If you’ve envisioned a career for yourself that allows you to protect and serve the people in your community, then working as a law enforcement officer could be your calling. Becoming a police officer isn’t always a straightforward process, however, so it’s important to research what it takes to become a police officer where you live before you dive in.
Since law enforcement agencies can have very different hiring processes, it’s always a good idea to check with individual agencies if you have questions about how to start a career with them.
In this article
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were over 9,000 police officers in the state of Maryland in 2023. Maryland’s proximity to Washington D.C. and its own metropolitan areas like Baltimore make it a state that’s filled with opportunities for law enforcement professionals.
“If becoming a police officer is something you wanted to do, it’s an absolutely great time to do that.”
“There are so many openings in law enforcement that almost every law enforcement agency throughout the country—but certainly in Maryland—is hiring right now. If becoming a police officer is something you wanted to do, it’s an absolutely great time to do that,” said Darren Popkin, Executive Director of the Maryland Chiefs of Police Association. “There are hiring bonuses, retention bonuses and pay has increased because of the demand for people, so it really is a good time.”
Minimum qualifications for Maryland police officers
If you want to become a police officer in the state of Maryland, you must satisfy the minimum qualifications of the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission:
- Be at least 21 years old (you may attend a basic training academy before you are 21 but you cannot perform law enforcement duties until you are 21 and certified as a police officer)
- Possess a high school diploma, GED or equivalent education
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Eligible under federal and Maryland law to possess a handgun
- Pass a criminal history background check with fingerprints
- Pass a medical and psychological examination that determines you are physically and mentally fit to perform the duties of a police officer
- Pass a physical fitness test
- Complete an oral interview with the agency to which you are applying
- Pass a drug screening test
- Possess a valid driver’s license
“There are about 160 law enforcement agencies in Maryland and each one of those agencies is responsible for their own hiring process and setting down the minimum requirements that you would need to become a police officer,” Popkin said. “There are some minimum requirements that the overarching Standards Commission sets down. In general, each law enforcement agency has to meet those minimums, but if a law enforcement agency wanted to be more strict and require something else, they could do that.” As an example, Popkin said that some agencies require police officers to have at least 60 college credits or allow military experience to substitute for that higher education requirement.
6 steps to become a Maryland police officer
Determine if you are eligible.
Prospective police officers in Maryland have to satisfy a few basic requirements before they can think about applying for a position. This includes, but is not limited to, being at least 21 years old, being a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and having a high school diploma or GED.
Consider earning a college degree.
Although it’s not required by the state, you may wish to consider getting a college degree before becoming a police officer (or later after you start your career). Some agencies may even require that you have a college degree, but even if it’s not required, having a degree could make you an especially attractive candidate or make it easier to move up the ranks later in your career. Getting a degree in a relevant field such as criminal justice, emergency management or cybersecurity could be especially beneficial.
Apply for an entry-level position within an agency.
If you meet the basic qualifications to be a police officer in Maryland, you can apply for entry-level positions with the law enforcement agencies you want to work for. Each agency may do things a little differently, so contact their recruitment officer(s) to find out what you need to do to get the process started.
Pass and complete all minimum application requirements.
Once an agency determines you meet their basic requirements, they need you to pass various evaluations to complete your application. This includes a medical and psychological evaluation, a fitness test, background check, drug screening and more.
Complete a basic training program.
After you’ve completed a law enforcement agency’s full application process and they’ve decided they want to hire you, they’ll send you to a basic training program of a least 850 hours to learn how to be a successful police officer.
Complete field training.
New officers must also complete field training before they can get certified. Field training builds on what you learned in basic training to prepare you for the duties of a police officer. After you complete your field training and your employer submits an application for certification to the Maryland Police Training and Standards Commission, you should get certified as a police officer in Maryland.
The hiring process
As you can imagine, applying to become a police officer is a multi-step process that can be a little different from agency to agency. When you apply for an open position, the agency must first make sure that you meet their minimum qualifications for things like your age, education, citizenship status and the like. Then you’ll move through a series of tests that can include things like a basic written examination, an oral interview, a fitness test and then an extensive background investigation.
If you pass that, Popkin said you may do some sort of integrity test using a polygraph or something similar. If everything is going smoothly, you should receive a tentative job offer at some point in the process.
“The last step of the process for hiring is you have to successfully complete a psychological assessment by a certified police psychologist,” Popkin said. “If you pass, of course the tentative job offer becomes a final job offer. Once you go through all those processes, then you would enter into a police academy.”
Maryland police education requirements
To become a police officer in Maryland, like most other states, you must have a high school diploma or GED to qualify.
Many individual agencies have their own requirements that may surpass the minimum requirements set forth by the state. For example, some local police departments and other law enforcement agencies may require that their officers have at least an associate or bachelor’s degree. If it’s not required, an agency may simply prefer candidates that have some postsecondary education.
Popkin noted that given the shortage of police officers nationwide and the sheer number of openings, many agencies today are actually reducing their initial education requirements.
“That was the way it was trending years ago, but now it’s trending in the other direction where it’s going back towards the minimum requirement of what education level you need as long as you’ve met the minimum.”
When there were more people applying for jobs than there were open positions, law enforcement agencies could be a little pickier about their education level preferences. That has changed a bit in recent years. Still, Popkin pointed out that there is still a lot of money available for police officers to pursue higher education once they are actually hired and working.
Police officers are not typically required to have a degree in a certain subject, but earning a degree in one of the following areas could be especially helpful in someone’s law enforcement career:
- Criminal Justice
- Homeland security
- Cybersecurity
- Emergency management
- Communications
- Social work
- Public administration
Additional requirements for MD
Once the agency that you are applying with determines that you’ve met all of their minimum standards and you’ve passed any relevant examinations (medical and psychological evaluations, background check, etc.), the next steps before you can become a certified police officer is completing basic training and field training.
Basic training
The entrance-level basic police training program takes place at Commission-approved police training academies. The program must consist of at least 850 hours of instruction. It includes a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on practice of relevant law enforcement skills such as firearms training, physical fitness training, protective strategies and tactics and much, much more.
“Most of them are approximately six months long,” Popkin said.
It’s important to note that it is possible for someone to voluntarily attend a police training academy before they’ve been hired by a law enforcement agency in Maryland. If that person is hired by an agency within two years of completing their basic training, then the mandatory basic training may be waived.
“Most of the hires in Maryland are agency sponsored and agency funded,” Popkin said. Be that as it may, Popkin said that someone who has perhaps applied to several agencies but hasn’t been hired yet may try to go the police academy on their own to make themselves more marketable.
Field training and certification
Once basic training is complete, prospective Maryland police officers must complete a field training course before they can become certified. Field training is an opportunity to put the knowledge and skills acquired in basic training to use and get to know the ins and outs of your particular law enforcement agency. For new officers, this field training must be at least 240 hours of instruction.
“In the police academy in the county where I was, there might be five or six different law enforcement agencies that are in the academy, and so everyone’s learning the same basic requirements to become a police officer,” Popkin said. “But then the [field training] when you get out of the academy, then you’re really getting down to the detail of regulations and directives and how the individual agency operates.”
When you’ve completed field training, the law enforcement agency that hired you must submit an application for certification to the Commission on your behalf. Assuming all requirements are met and there are no deficiencies if your application, you should be granted certification as a police officer in the state of Maryland.
Continuing education requirements
Maryland police officers must complete 18 hours of Commission-approved in-service training each year to renew their certification. In addition, officers must also pass an annual firearms qualification to keep their firearm proficiencies up to date.
As of July 2022, all Maryland police officers must also take and pass an annual physical fitness test to demonstrate continued fitness and ability to execute their duties as a police officer.
Maryland police salary and job outlook
The median annual salary for police and sheriff’s patrol officers in Maryland is $77,970 according to the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics from the BLS. That’s just over the national median which is $76,210. Your individual salary as a police officer can be influenced by many factors such as location, experience and education level.
In Maryland, for example, populous cities like Baltimore and the metropolitan area surrounding Washington D.C. have higher median annual wages than nonmetropolitan areas.
Police officers in most places get standard benefits packages that are common for most salaried employees. This typically includes medical, dental and vision insurance, as well as paid time off. Police officers also usually get a pension fund.
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
10%$58,580
25%$66,300
50%$77,970Median
75%$95,990
90%$113,700
Median Hourly Wage$37
Job growth3.5%
Total Employment9,720
| Metro area | Median Salary | Bottom 10% | Top 10% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington Park, MD | $79,900 | $61,490 | $101,020 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $76,530 | $60,770 | $100,980 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | $66,020 | $56,890 | $96,360 |
| Salisbury, MD | $58,580 | $48,080 | $103,510 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 2025 median salary; projected job growth through 2035. Actual salaries vary depending on location, level of education, years of experience, work environment, and other factors. Salaries may differ even more for those who are self-employed or work part time.
According to the BLS, the employment of police and sheriff’s patrol officers is expected to grow 3.5% through 2035, which is right on par with the average across all occupations. As Popkin pointed out, however, a nationwide police shortage means there are a lot of jobs available for those that want them.
Increasing your earning potential as a police officer
Law enforcement agencies often provide many ways for officers to increase their wages. Moving up the ranks and getting promoted may be the most straightforward method, but many agencies also offer the following:
- Generous sign-on bonuses
- Shift differentials for less desirable shifts, like evenings and late nights
- Fitness incentives
- Salary bumps for higher levels of education
Next steps to become a Maryland police officer
Becoming a law enforcement officer is a big decision, but it’s one that could lead to a fulfilling, lifelong career in service to others.
“It is truly a noble profession. People get into this line of work really for one reason, and that’s service before self. They really want to do this because they just want to help people.” Popkin said that if you have that kind of passion for the job, it will sustain you in the long term. Popkin also said that for the people out there who may have dreamed about becoming a law enforcement officer when they were growing up and who still have that dream of a public service career, it is absolutely there for the taking.
If you think you’re ready to apply for a policing job, start by reaching out to a recruiter at the agencies you’re interested in to learn about their individual hiring process and requirements. Or, begin researching criminal justice and law enforcement programs to learn more about degrees in the field.
State guides for prospective police officers
Take a look at the steps you’ll need to take to become a police officer in other states: