Chris Burrows

I have recently immigrated to the US with my family (wife US Citizen), I have been applying for Law Enforcement (preferably a Police Officer) and have already hit an obstacle here Arizona as I am not yet a US Citizen. I have heard that there are a few states that will accept green card holders applications.
My question is has anyone been in a similar situation and/or could point me in the right direction or give me some advice as to which states will employ someone on a Green card with permanent residence status.

Scouse Express

You will probably have to attend a 4-Year Course in "Criminal Justice" at an Accredited College, before you can apply to a Police Department. You can probably do this whilst you are awaiting your Citizenship.

Of course, you will probably have to find another form of employment in the meantime, as a means to support yourself.

Welcome to the States.


Jim.

Matt34

After doing some research sometime back I can tell you there are a total of 14 states that will hire green card holders. Chicago PD & Alaska State Troopers are 2 of the main ones. However their hiring criteria will vary from department to department, state to state and out of those 14 states not every department will agree to hire a non us citizen. Some will also have age limits and some wont. Whilst there are many that will hire without a criminal justice degree, there are just as many that now want you to have one.

Many states also have private police academys where you pay for your training and if you graduate it increases your chances of being hired by a department since they dont have to pay for your training. Last time i checked average price was around $3k

Other options to look at are sheriffs departments since their criteria isnt as strict as a big city pd. They also have various reserve programs where you can work your way up and then transfer to full time over a period of time.

Because you are a green card holder you are also able to apply for a state license for working in security, bail enforcement, investigator etc. This would also help get your foot in the door by gaining further experience in other areas.

In the past i have met 2 brits who work in us law enforcement so its not impossible but it is a challenge trying to get your foot in the door. All i can suggest is do your research and bring as much to the table as possible that will help go in your favor.

Matt34

This list is several years old, but is a good starting point.

States that don't require us citizenship:

Alaska
Colorado
Hawaii
Illinois
Maine
Massachusetts
Ohio
Texas
Vermont
Washington State
West Virginia

These other states will hire but have various requirements.

California - Will hire but must have applied for us citizenship before applying.
Louisiana - They will but yet to find a department who will hire a non citizen.
North Dakota - Is a yes/no state, some places will some wont.
Virginia - Yes provided you can get permission from the sheriff otherwise no.