34 U.S.C. § 12556 — Selection of participants

(a) In general. Participants are selected on a competitive basis by each state, under regulations the Director prescribes. (b) Selection criteria and qualifications. (1) To take part in a state program, an applicant must: (A) be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident; (B) meet the requirements for admission as a trainee of the state or local police force they will join under section 12559(5), including passing any required exam — except that failing to meet the age requirement for a police trainee will not disqualify an applicant who will be old enough after finishing an undergraduate degree; (C) have the mental and physical capability and emotional makeup needed to do a law enforcement officer's job effectively; (D) be of good character and show sincere motivation and dedication to law enforcement and public service; (E) if an undergraduate, promise in writing to complete a bachelor's degree and then accept an appointment and complete 4 years of service as a state or local police officer; (F) if pursuing graduate study, promise in writing to accept an appointment and complete 4 years of police service before beginning or continuing graduate study; (G) sign a contract — with parent or guardian consent if a minor — to serve 4 years as a police officer if offered an appointment; and (H) except as provided in paragraph (2), have no previous law enforcement experience. (2) Until 5 years after September 13, 1994, up to 10 percent of accepted applicants could be people with some law enforcement experience who showed special leadership potential and dedication. Their prior law enforcement time does not count toward the 4-year service obligation in section 12558, and they have the same benefits and obligations as other participants, including the promises in (b)(1)(E) and (F) — though that prior experience may still count for purposes like pay, benefits, rank, and tenure. (3) The program is intended to have no more than 20,000 participants in each graduating class. The Director approves state plans so that, in the aggregate, they aim for annual graduating classes of about 20,000. If more applications come in than would produce a class larger than 20,000, the Director must give preference to applicants from state plans that send officers to areas of greatest need. (c) Recruitment of minorities. Each participating state must make special efforts to recruit applicants from all racial, ethnic, and gender groups. This does not allow a state to skip the competitive admission standards in subsections (a) and (b). (d) Enrollment of applicant. (1) An applicant is accepted into a state program only on condition that they are matriculated in, or accepted for admission at, a four-year school — either (A) full-time as an undergraduate, or (B) to take a graduate course. (2) If the applicant does not actually enroll or get accepted as required, their acceptance into the program is revoked. (e) Leave of absence. (1) A participant must be granted a leave of absence of up to 1 year (or 18 months total across multiple requests) for a temporary physical or emotional disability. (2) A participant may be granted a similar leave, of the same length, for any other reason. (3) A participant may be granted a leave of up to 30 months to serve on an official church mission. (f) Admission of applicants. An applicant may be admitted into a state program either before starting, or during, their course of study.