Becoming a certified law enforcement officer in the state of Arkansas is a high achievement and encompasses certain requirements. The standards stem from CLEST, the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training, established in 1975. The minimum requirements include possessing a valid driver’s license, being free of a felony record, being examined by a licensed physician to meet the physical and psychological requirements of the job and being of good character as determined by a thorough background investigation. Depending upon prior experience, uncertified officers will go through the ALETA (Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy) program for a duration of 13 weeks. In the 13 weeks, officers will become trained in various programs like SSGT (Strategic Self-Defense and Gun-Fighting Tactics), SFST (Standardized Field Sobriety Tests) training, and Arkansas Laws and Statutes. Those officers will then become certified upon ALETA graduation and will embark on their journey at their department.

Safe schools. The public and private schools in Northwest Arkansas and among the very best in the state, and they are often recognized by U.S. News & World Report as some of the nation’s best. Many schools have police resource officers, and their interactions with students and teachers are mostly positive ones.

Art, museums and music. Crystal Bridges is recognized as the most important American art museums to open in this century. Its satellite property, The Momentary, is a contemporary art space that opened in 2020. The Walton Arts Center, TheatreSquared and the Walmart AMP contribute to the amazing music and theatre offerings in the region.

The outdoors. If you haven’t heard of Hawksbill Crag, check it out. You’ll be amazed. It’s 60 miles away from the center of the most urbanized area of Northwest Arkansas, and getting to it is half the fun. You know about Beaver Lake and that Bentonville is recognized as the Mountain Bike Capital of the World, right? It’s no exaggeration!

We know many police officers have spouses and partners, and the Northwest Arkansas Council is interested in supporting their move to our region, too. Our nonprofit organization has strong connections with the HR teams at Northwest Arkansas-based Fortune 500 companies (Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt Transport Services). We’re also well-positioned to make introductions for people who want to work in law enforcement/criminal justice, health care, education, manufacturing and any number of other career fields.

Northwest Arkansas certainly needs police officers, but we have more than 10,000 other open positions. You have the Northwest Arkansas Council’s commitment that we’ll share your resume and do our best to connect police officers’ spouses and partners with the right people.

There are more than 10,000 open positions in the region, including about 100 for police officers, dispatchers, jailers and support staff. Several of our region’s cities have been approved to add officers in the past two years, but they’ve been unable to find the talent they need to fill those positions. Check out our Talent Network to learn about new NWA job opportunities.

With nearly 10,000 open positions and an exceedingly low unemployment rate, we’re looking for new residents and workers to add to the vibrancy of our growing communities and economy. Our region is adding more than 30 people a day to its population, and Northwest Arkansas needs more people from all career backgrounds to meet the needs of the newcomers and everyone who already lives here.