The Iowa Law Enforcement Academy hosts a Job Board. Please click under “Quick Links” at the top and go to “View Job Postings.”

Before the start of your online course with ILEA, you will receive an email to sign-up for our online learning management system. This will allow you to access the course(s) you have been assigned. For more information regarding ILEA’s online courses, please see the Online Academy page.

The Iowa Law Enforcement Academy does not offer on-site accomodations at this time. You may book a room through Camp Dodge lodging at (515) 252-4238, or you can book a room at a local motel/hotel in the area.

If you are representing a law enforcement agency or organization in the state of Iowa, you need to report new hires or staff terminations to ILEA within 20 (twenty) days for sworn LEOs and 10 (ten) days for jailers/telecommunicators according to Iowa Administrative Code 501. Please use the Forms page to choose the correct class of employee you need to report on. You will be taken to the digital reporting form you need.

Note: Per the Academy Council, if you have already completed the Basic Academy training where fundamentals of interviewing and legal topics, (per this rule) are already covered, you are not required to attend additional training. Beyond what is received at the Basic Academy for training for these areas, we are highly encouraging continued training.

501—8.5(80F) Training officers on interviewing/investigating an officer subject to a complaint.

8.5(1) An agency employing full-time or part-time officers shall provide training to any officer or supervisor who performs or supervises an investigation under Iowa Code section 80F.1 and shall maintain documentation of completed training.

8.5(2) Pursuant to Iowa Code section 80F.1(22), a peace officer or supervisor who performs or supervises an investigation of an officer who is the subject of a complaint shall receive a minimum of two hours of training on the fundamentals of interviewing. It is recommended that a peace officer who performs active investigations of officers who are the subject of complaints also receive additional training.

8.5(3) Pursuant to Iowa Code section 80F.1(22), a peace officer or supervisor who performs or supervises an investigation of an officer who is the subject of a complaint shall complete a minimum of two hours of training on the following areas:

No, providing that the person has actually served as a sworn officer in the other state within twelve months before the hiring date in Iowa, and that the training received for certification in the other state was at least 400 hours. The person may then be eligible for Certification Through Examination in Iowa. Application must be made to the Academy within 120 days after hiring. All minimum standards for Iowa law enforcement officers must be met prior to hiring. Although you may not have to attend the Academy to receive certification it is strictly up to the hiring agency if they want you to attend.

Certified Iowa law enforcement officers who move from one Iowa agency to another with no more than a six month break in service are not required to re-verify compliance with minimum standards; however, a background investigation including fingerprint checks and psychological examination are necessary prior to hiring. Agencies may establish additional standards. Civil service provisions and requirements, if any, still apply.

Yes. They apply to the hiring of all full-time and part-time officers in all cities in Iowa regardless of population.

Some Community Colleges have programs where hired officers can attend certification programs provided they have a two-year or a four-year degree in Criminal Justice or Police Science. Again, all pre-employment minimum hiring standards must be met.

There are also several Regional Training Sites including sites run by the Des Moines Police Department, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, and the Department of Public Safety.

Some Community Colleges accept attendance at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy as college credit. Check with your registrars office or the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy for details.

No, the Iowa Law Enforcement Agency does not keep record of annual in-service training required for law enforcement officers in the state of Iowa. Records of in-service training should be kept at the agency level in case of audits.

Yes, the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy conducts POST cognitive testing and MMPI testing and evaluations for sworn peace officers, civilian jailers, communication specialists, and Reserve peace officers. The testing is conducted at ILEA and at local sites when requested.  The Iowa Law Enforcement Academy will assist sheriffs’ offices and civil service commissions with promotional testing for sworn personnel in sheriffs’ offices. This testing can be conducted at the ILEA or at the local agency. 

Yes. Due to legal changes sponsorship, is now an option for application to the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. We now accept students not yet hired but who are instead sponsored by Iowa Law Enforcement Agencies. 

Hiring a sworn law enforcement officer who was trained outside of Iowa is referred to as Certification through Examination. For information regarding the CTE process, please call ILEA at (515) 331-5778.

The Iowa Law Enforcement Academy asks that you fill out a change-in-status form for all employees who undergo legal name changes, such as through marriage or divorce. To do this, use the top navigation to go to the Forms page. Then select the category of employee you need to report the name change for.

The fee schedule for ILEA courses is determined yearly by the Academy Council. For the current fiscal year fee schedule, please see ILEA’s Policies page.

Yes, they can, as long as all of the minimum standards and tests are successfully passed prior to hire.

No. Officers have one year from the date of their employment in which to become certified through the successful completion of training at an approved law enforcement training facility. This must be accomplished in order to remain eligible for continued employment. However, liability implications in placing untrained officers on duty should be very carefully considered.

The minimum standards for Iowa law enforcement officers do not address the radial keratotomy procedure; thus it is within the discretion of each individual hiring authority, who must certify to the Academy that all hiring standards have been met, to make that determination. If the question arises, the Academy strongly recommends consultation with appropriate eye doctors.

No. Reserve officers’ function under Chapter 80D of The Code of Iowa and their training is provided by the law enforcement agency for which they are appointed.

For information regarding the decertification of officers, please see 501-6.2: Administrative Rules. This section covers topics such as what constitutes moral turpitude, when decertification is mandatory, and what steps ILEA takes with the employing agency.

Request a POST Order Form directly from Stanard & Associates by emailing Tatianna.Green@stanard.com. Requests shall be made at least 10 business days prior to a planned testing date. In the email include your testing date, a listing of test taker names and their FULL social security numbers. Make sure the email or fax is sent secure or is password protected!

Yes. The approved proctor listing is on the ILEA website >> Forms >> Testing Forms >>Active Approved Proctor Listing.

Yes, you can. All testing material is charged to the agency that completes the POST Order Form and is shipped directly to the proctor assigned by that agency. It is the sole responsibility of the proctor to securely store and maintain an inventory record of the exams in their care. As rolling test dates are scheduled, hiring agencies must still, prior to a planned testing date, email Tatianna.Green@stanard.com the testing date, a listing of test taker names and their FULL social security numbers in a secure email or by fax.

There are three versions of the Iowa POST; A, B & C. If an applicant fails, they may test on a different version with no waiting period. To retake the same version an applicant must wait 90-days between.