Florida Sworn/Certified Law Enforcement Applicants

Florida sworn/certified law enforcement applicants must start the selection process by completing both a State of Florida application and an FWC Supplemental Application through People First.
Applicants must fill out and submit the State of Florida application online through People First.
OUT-OF-STATE sworn/certified law enforcement officers must become Florida Certified before beginning this process. For more information contact the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
After receipt of your completed applications, to include all requested documents, qualifying applicants will be invited to participate in a Physical Abilities Test.
After successfully completing the physical assessment, each applicant is scheduled for an oral interview by a board of at least three FWC Officers at the FWC Law Enforcement Training Center which is located at The Florida Public Safety Institute (FPSI) (formally Pat Thomas Academy) near Tallahassee. If selected by the oral boards, a thorough background investigation is then conducted.
Applicants must also fill out the FWC Supplemental Application online. The Supplemental Application provides the necessary information for the agency to conduct a thorough background investigation on qualifying applicants.
Following a successful background investigation, selected applicants will be required to complete an extensive vision and psychological evaluation, and a physical, to include a seven-panel drug screening.
At the conclusion of this process, selected applicants are offered employment and given a date to report to the FWC Law Enforcement Training Center for approximately ten weeks of agency specific training. This specialized training includes, but is not limited to:
- Fish and wildlife conservation laws
- Land navigation & GPS
- Federal Fisheries Law Enforcement
- Species I.D. (marine and wildlife)
- Vessel accident investigation
- Water safety survival
- Man-tracking
- Commercial fishing
- Vessel operation
- And more
At the conclusion of the agency specific training, officers report to their new assignment location and will be placed in a 16-week Field Training Officer (FTO) Program. This program is specifically designed to teach the unique requirements of Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement.
Upon successful completion of the FTO Program, approval is given to carry out the daily duties of an FWC officer.