BATON ROUGE — If you’re looking for a new job or a career change, tomorrow is your chance to learn about becoming a Louisiana State Police (LSP) Trooper. Applications are open for LSP Cadet Class 109, but on Dec. 10, perspective troopers can get all of their questions answered in person.
LSP has offered open houses for recent cadet classes, and its latest is happening soon Wednesday. “The open houses give the applicants an opportunity to come in and meet with the recruiters face to face,” State Trooper Shelby Mayfield said. “It gives you a chance to meet with the rank structure, with the captains, the supervisory lieutenants and sergeants of each individual troop, and actually ask questions.”
People interested in becoming an LSP trooper can fill out the application online now, but the open house provides more insight and a personal touch. “When you first get started, a lot of the State Police application process can be done online,” Trooper Mayfield said. “But for those people who prefer that personal touch and want to put faces to names, maybe walk around and see what a troop house looks like, those open houses offer you the opportunity to do that.”
When and where
Wednesday’s open house is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at LSP Troop A in Baton Rouge on Highland Road. Everyone is welcome to attend, not just those who have already started the application process. “It’s open to anybody who has interest. You don’t have to be somebody who’s in the application pipeline for Cadet class 109, it’s open to the public,” he said. “We encourage anybody who has any questions about being a Louisiana State Trooper to come out and meet the recruiters, meet some people who work within our agency, and ask questions.”
Trooper Mayfield said the open houses are a great opportunity for people who live out of state to get all the information they need in one day. It’s something he could have benefitted from when he was in the application process from Jacksonville, FL. “You can go and pick one day, meet with the recruiters, meet with the rank, meet with other troopers, meet with other people who were in the hiring process, I think that would have been absolutely fantastic.”
“I think one of the biggest benefits is that you get to meet other like minded individuals who also are trying to join the agency,” Trooper Mayfield said. “It just it makes you just feel at home. It makes the process a little bit easier and more comfortable.”
Open house benefits
A recent graduate from Cadet Class 107 experienced the benefit from the open house firsthand. “Trooper Hudson was an Air Force veteran who was separating from the military, and he told me that the open house made things feel a little bit more calming and relaxing for him,” Trooper Mayfield said.
“Sometimes you have a question and you have to go through a bunch of different channels to get an answer. But the fact that he had that open house where he could just sit there for an hour to enjoy some food, ask some questions, and hang out helped,” said Trooper Mayfield. “A lot of the questions that he didn’t even think about, someone else asked. It helped put a lot things in perspective for him. It just made the process easier.”
Cadet Class 109
You download an application to be part of Cadet Class 109 here. You can also find more information on the Louisiana State Police Recruiting Facebook page. Applications are due by January 6, 2026. The 24-week academy is expected to start on June 28, 2026.
Applicants must be at least 21-years-old and meet the following criteria:
- Two years of experience as a Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Level 1 (or out-of-state equivalent) certified peace officer in a full-time position (whose job duties include armed duty with the power of arrest); or
- A minimum of 60 semester hours from an accredited college or university (must provide transcript or degree); or
- Any two year combination of Options 1 and 2 above, whereby 30 semester hours will be equivalent to one year of experience; or
- Three years of continuous active military duty in the United States Military (must provide a DD-214 or letter from current commanding officer verifying service), effective October 1, 2001.
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