Frequently Asked Questions

To qualify for our incentive, applicants must be Louisiana POST certified & must have a minimum of 1 year of qualifying experience in law enforcement. Additional basic requirements for employment will also still apply. Applicants must be at least 20 years old; must be a citizen of the United States and must pass the same standard screening process as new applicants. 

The POST certified officer hiring process typically takes three to six weeks from first contact, to first day of work. 

No, you do not need to live in the city limits of Lake Charles to work for LCPD. To qualify for our take home unit program, you will need to live within the radius of the attached map. This is not mandatory for employment but is a great benefit to the officer as well as the community. 

While the program is set up for several months of field training, officers who exhibit proficiency at the job may be moved to solo officer status in as little as 4 weeks.

Yes, retirement contributions can be transferred to the Municipal Police Employee’s Retirement System (MPERS) after 6 months of employment. The rate of transfer is determined by actuaries at the retirement board. MPERS can be contacted directly for more information at 225-612-2760.

LCPD is proud to outfit its officers with all the tools and equipment they need to be successful on the job. This includes – but is not limited to – uniforms and ballistic vests (outer carrier style), body cameras, less lethal force options, numerous uniform accessories/equipment, laptop computers, duty weapon, patrol rifle and a take home police unit (as available).

When an officer successfully completes their first year on the job, they will receive a lump sum incentive payment of $9,000.  

When the officer successfully completes year two on the job, they will receive a lump sum incentive payment of $3,000.

When the officer successfully completes year three on the job, they will receive a final lump sum incentive payment of $3,000.

All LCPD officers begin their career in the uniform patrol division; this includes prior POST officers hired under the incentive program.  After certification, officers in good standing with qualifying experience may apply for transfer to another division upon availability. LCPD offers a number of different divisions, including K-9, Traffic, Community Policing, Training, Violent Crimes Investigations, Property Crimes Investigations, Juvenile Crimes Investigations, Sex Crimes Investigations, Narcotics Task Force, SWAT Team and Dive Team.