South Dakota Highway Patrol Minimum Qualifications

Position Purpose

Performs law enforcement work, learns and applies traffic laws, motor carrier laws and regulations and enforces compliance with criminal laws. Works under supervision of a squad sergeant. May receive work direction from academy training officers and field training officers until proficient in assigned duties.

Minimum Qualifications

This position requires graduation from high school or possession of a GED certificate; or an equivalent combination of related education and experience. Competitive examinations are open to applicants who meet the requirements fixed by the Civil Service Commission with regard to education, experience, physical condition and other factors relating to the performance of the duties of the position. The requirements include the following:

1. United States citizenship.
2. Attainment of at least 21 years of age by date of the appointment.
3. Possession of or ability to obtain a South Dakota driver's license.
4. Vision - must possess 20/20 binocular vision with or without corrective lenses. Color, depth perception, and field of view must be normal as determined by an optometric examination.
5. Hearing – using the average of the three readings at 500, 1000, and 3000 Hz, the average decibel loss per ear must be no worse than 35 decibels for each ear uncorrected.
6. The applicant shall be free of any chronic disease or organic or functional defect, as determined by a medical examination, that would impair performance of the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.
7. The applicant shall be capable of passing physical agility tests, including push-ups, sit-ups, vertical jump, and one and one-half mile run.
8. The applicant shall comply with the South Dakota Highway Patrol tattoo, body piercing, and body modification policy. Applicants cannot have any tattoo deemed offensive. Applicants shall not have any visible tattoos to the head, face, neck, scalp or on their hands with the exception of 1 tattoo of a ring on each hand.

The selection process involves: (1) Meet Minimum Standards; (2) Complete Electronic Job Application, Prepare for Minimum Fitness standards; (3) First Interview; (4) Background Investigation; (5) Physical Fitness Test, Second Interview; (6) Polygraph Examination; and (7) Highway Patrol Academy.

Applicants shall be of good character as determined by a background investigation and shall not have had a felony conviction. Applicants must be willing to travel, work irregular hours, and relocate anywhere in the state. Final candidates will be subject to a polygraph exam before appointment.

South Dakota Highway Patrol Physical Requirements

Minimum Standards

Vertical jump

The vertical jump measures the ability to summon up a burst of muscular power. The eligible applicant must make a mark as high as he or she can reach on a wall, keeping his or her heels on the ground. Then the applicant must jump as high as he or she can, crouching down first and swinging his or her arm up to carry them higher, making another mark as far up on the wall as possible. The number of inches between the two marks is the jump height. The examiner shall rate the eligible applicant’s vertical jump ability according to the chart above.

Sit-ups

The sit-up test is a measure of muscular endurance or the ability to contract musculature repetitively over a period of time. The eligible applicant shall start by lying on his or her back, knees bent, heels flat on the floor, arms crossed on the chest with hands touching opposite shoulders. A partner shall hold the feet down. From the lying position, the eligible applicant must come to a sitting position, touch the leg below the knee with his or her elbows, and then return to a lying position with the lower back touching the ground. The eligible applicant must not rebound, but allow the lower back to fully relax before beginning the next repetition. The eligible applicant shall perform as many correct sit-ups as possible within a one-minute time limit. The examiner shall rate the eligible applicant’s sit-up ability according to the chart above.

Push-ups

To complete the push-up agility test, the eligible applicant must lie face down with hands placed next to his or her shoulders and push his or her entire body, including legs, off the floor until his or her arms are straight. This is the starting position for performing push-ups. A partner shall place his or her fist on the floor below the eligible applicant’s chest. Keeping his or her back straight at all times, the eligible applicant shall lower him or herself from the starting position until his or her chest touches his or her partner’s fist. The eligible applicant shall push back up to the starting position and repeat as many times as possible. There is no time limit. The partner shall cease counting with the first incomplete push-up. The examiner shall rate the eligible applicant’s push-up ability according to the chart above.

One and one-half mile run

The eligible applicant may cover the 1.5 mile run course at his or her own pace and as his or her condition allows. This test is designed to measure endurance. The examiner shall rate the eligible applicant’s endurance according to the chart above.

AR 55:10:04:02.
Source: 39 SDR 99, effective December 3, 2012.
General Authority: SDCL 3-6D-7.
Law Implemented: SDCL 3-6D-7.