This week’s featured question was submitted for Merrill Police Chief Corey Bennett
The question reads:
“What are the requirements to become a Merrill Police Officer? Is a college degree required or just recommended? Thank you”
Answer as given by Bennett:
“The Merrill PD minimum hiring qualifications are really no different than is required by state statute and LESB (Department of Justice Law Enforcement Standards Board) policy. Of course we look for qualifications beyond the minimum requirements and encourage prospective applicants to set themselves apart by bringing more qualifications to the table, so to speak. The minimum requirements are:
•Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
•Applicants must possess a general educational development diploma or be a high school graduate who has completed a secondary education program through a public school, private school, an equivalency diploma program, or home education program within the United States or its territories.
Criteria for proof of compliance includes any of the following:
•A general educational development diploma.
•A high school diploma issued by a public school education program.
•A high school diploma issued by a private school.
•A high school equivalency diploma.
•Copies of form PI‐1206 filed with the Department of Public Instruction for applicants who have completed a home school program in Wisconsin, or documentation that the education program has met the requirements of the Department of Education from the state where the home school program was completed. Home‐schooled students may also substitute an official college transcript showing completion of at least 60‐associate degree level college credits or higher at a college or university accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Secretary of Education.
•Law enforcement or tribal law enforcement officers employed on or after February 1, 1993, must possess either a two-year associate degree from a Wisconsin technical college system district or its accredited equivalent from another state or a minimum of 60‐accredited credits. An applicant for law enforcement or tribal law enforcement employment who has not met this standard at the time of initial law enforcement or tribal law enforcement employment must meet the standard by the end of their fifth year of employment.
•Applicants must possess a valid Wisconsin driver’s license or other such valid operator’s permit recognized by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation as authorizing operation of a motor vehicle in Wisconsin.
•Applicants must not have been convicted of any federal felony or of any offense which if committed in Wisconsin could be punished as a felony unless the applicant has been granted an absolute and unconditional pardon.
•Applicants for employment as a law enforcement or tribal law enforcement officer must not have been convicted of any misdemeanor crime of domestic violence unless the applicant has been granted an absolute and unconditional pardon.
Have a question or concern you would like to address? Simply send your question or concern to [email protected] along with an indication of which entity your question or concern pertains to. Current participants are the Merrill Police Department, Merrill Fire Department, Tomahawk Police Department, Merrill City Administrator Dave Johnson, Merrill Area Housing Authority Director Paul Russell, Lincoln County Clerk Chris Marlowe, Lincoln County Administrative Coordinator Jason Hake, Lincoln County Forestry Land and Parks Director Kevin Kleinschmidt, local DNR Conservation Warden Curt Butler and Merrill Area Public Schools (MAPS) Superintendent Dr. John Sample. Please note: Those who submit to the ‘Ask an Official’ feature remain anonymous.