Collegiate Officer Program

The Collegiate Officer Program (COP) provides one pathway for obtaining the education and training needed to become a certified peace officer in the state of Oklahoma. Completion of the program requires and associate or bachelor's degree.

Students completing the Collegiate Officer Program may have an advantage when competing for employment in the law enforcement field because they will have already completed the peace officer training mandates which are established in Oklahoma State Statutes, Title 70, § 3311.

Students should be aware that other opportunities for peace officer employment and certification do exist. For example, certification may be obtained at no cost to a student by securing employment as a full-time peace officer with any municipal, county or state law enforcement agency and then attending a Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, or Council approved basic academy.

Students are admitted to the Collegiate Officer Program after academic advisement from their institution's police science or criminal justice department.

Note: Students who have a record of a felony conviction or conviction for a crime involving moral turpitude should not enroll in the Collegiate Officer Program. Such convictions will prevent completion of the program.

COP students are required to meet certain course prerequisites and program conditions.

• Criminal law courses are prerequisites for all other COP courses and must be completed first.
• Certain skills courses are only offered between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
• Skills training courses require 100% attendance.
• First Aid courses or units require a minimum score of 80 percent.

In addition to certain educational and training requirements, Title 70, § 3311 of the Oklahoma Statutes requires that peace officers meet the following:

• Hold a high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) certificate.
• Pass a psychological examination adminstered by the employing agency using a CLEET-approved psychological instrument. A licensed psychologist evaluates the assessment, and the employing agency certifies that the applicant is suitable to serve as a peace officer.
• Have no record conviction for, and not be participating in a deferred sentence agreement for, a felony, a crime involving moral turpitude, or a crime of domestic violence.
• Rules governing the Council state that persons: ". . . hired after January 1, 1987, shall be twenty-one (21) years of age prior to completion of basic certification training."

COP graduates must meet additional requirements before recieving their peace officer certification. These requirements include, but may not be limited to, the following depending on the hiring agency:

• Pass a comprehensive examination covering all COP coursework. This is the Council's qualification examination. A minimum score of 80% is required.
• Be hired by a city, county, or state government entity as a full-time peace officer before Oklahoma peace officer certification will be issued.
• Complete an in-depth background investigation as required by the hiring agency.