The Lakewood Police Department values the hiring of skilled, experienced and dedicated law enforcement professionals through our lateral entry program.
Lateral applicants must meet the same minimum hiring requirements as entry-level applicants, including possession of a bachelor’s degree in any discipline. Applicants must have a current Colorado peace officer standards and training (POST) certification, an out-of-state equivalent, or if the certification recently lapsed, be eligible to obtain certification through the State of Colorado. In general, lateral candidates are expected to have at least three years of full-time patrol experience in a comparable municipal, county, or state law enforcement environment. Experience such as federal, railroad, private police, military and collegiate law enforcement will not be considered.
Each lateral applicant is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Most Colorado-certified laterals complete approximately two weeks of department-specific academy training, while out-of-state or non-certified laterals typically complete a training program lasting a minimum of eight weeks, depending on certification requirements. Lateral Police Agents also complete a field training program that may be as short as six weeks, based on experience and performance.
As of April 2026, the lateral starting pay is based on years of experience:
Lateral Police Agents serve a one-year probationary period. Upon successful completion, they are eligible to compete for certain specialized assignments and may pursue promotion to sergeant after two years of service.
If you are interested in applying or if you have questions, please reach out to us at LPDRecruiting@LakewoodCO.org.