The West Virginia State Police is a very proud and professional organization. Active personnel continually recruit applicants for the position of trooper. An applicant must be of sound constitution and have good moral character and integrity.
The West Virginia State Police was formed in 1919 and is the nation's fourth oldest state police organization. Over the years it has progressed to become one of the most respected police organizations in the nation.
The West Virginia State Police is comprised of non-uniformed and uniformed members. Non-uniformed members play a vital role in the operation of the organization. Non-uniformed support personnel include office assistants, fingerprint technicians, mechanics, and police telecommunicators to name a few.
Applicants seeking admission to the West Virginia State Police Academy as a Cadet Trooper, uniformed member, must undergo competitive examinations as outlined in this booklet. Testing for the position of trooper begins as vacancies occur within the organization either through attrition or by the allocation and funding of additional positions as granted by the West Virginia Legislature.
Once funding exists, the Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police determines a target date for enlistment of a cadet class. A tentative testing schedule is prepared by the West Virginia State Police Personnel Section and the process begins by notifying active applicants of a specific test date. Newspaper advertisements are then generated and published. Additional media advertisements may also occur. A cut-off date for accepting applications is always determined for scheduling purposes.
West Virginia State law requires the Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police to establish a Cadet Selection Board. The Cadet Selection Board consists of five members representing commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the organization. The Board is active throughout the testing cycle.
Once an application (
WVSP Trooper Application.pdf) is received in the Personnel Section it proceeds through a review process. If an application is incomplete or indicates an applicant does not meet the basic criteria, the application is placed in an inactive file.
Applications that are properly filled out are entered into a computer data base and become active. Active applicants are notified by mail of their status.
Applications are retained for one year after the application is filed or after taking action on the application, whichever is later.