Atlanta is the capital and largest city of Georgia, with a population of over 520,000.1 Known for its role as a major economic, cultural, and transportation hub in the Southeast, Atlanta offers a demanding and rewarding environment for law enforcement professionals. The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is actively recruiting both entry-level and lateral officers. Men and women who want to join the APD will find information on the application, selection, and training process below.

Atlanta Police Officer Requirements

To join the APD, candidates must meet the following minimum qualifications:2

  • Be a US citizen or have naturalization documentation
  • Be at least 20 years old, with at least six months past the 20th birthday
  • Hold a high school diploma or GED
  • Possess a valid driver’s license
  • If previously in the military, have an honorable or uncharacterized discharge
  • Have uncorrected vision of at least 20/100 in each eye, correctable to 20/20 with glasses, contacts, or surgery
  • Pass a cognitive skills exam and personality assessment
  • Pass a medical examination after receiving a job offer
  • Be able to meet the high physical demands of the Atlanta Police Academy
  • Be prepared to complete 12 weeks of field training and significant classroom training at the required standard

Applicants who meet these qualifications move into the APD’s selection process, which includes a physical agility test, a thorough background investigation, a Computer Voice Stress Analysis, a medical exam, and a psychological evaluation. Candidates who clear each stage may receive a conditional offer and be assigned to an upcoming academy class. Lateral candidates with prior full-time sworn law enforcement experience and current Georgia POST certification (or an equivalent out-of-state certification) follow a streamlined path with a shorter academy and field training component.

For more information about becoming a law enforcement officer in a big city like Atlanta, check out 10 Steps to Becoming a Police Officer on our home page. For full details on each step and to apply, visit the APD Recruiting site.

Atlanta Police Training Academy

All APD recruits train at the Atlanta Police Training Academy (APTA), historically known as the Herbert T. Jenkins Atlanta Police Academy. Since 2025, the academy has operated out of the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, a campus that opened to host the first graduating class (Class #287) in May of that year.3 Basic recruit training runs more than 20 weeks and includes at least 80 hours of physical training, 80 hours of defensive tactics, 48 hours of firearms instruction, and hundreds of hours of classroom coursework.4 To qualify for an academy class, candidates must run a mile in 12:30 or less and complete the obstacle course in 4:20 or less; to graduate, they must run a mile in 10:30 or less and finish the obstacle course in 3:20 or less.4 After graduating, officers complete a 12-week field training assignment under veteran officers before starting solo patrol duties.

Salary, Benefits, and Jobs Outlook

Under the pay schedule that took effect on January 1, 2025, new APD police officers start at a base salary of $60,987, and lateral officers with qualifying prior law enforcement experience start at $66,395, with the potential for a higher starting figure depending on documented years of service.5 APD accepts in-state, out-of-state, and military police laterals from qualifying units; returning APD officers are reinstated at the tier they previously held.5

Officers are eligible for medical and dental benefit options, life insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, tuition reimbursement, and an annual uniform allowance. Retirement benefits are provided through the City of Atlanta’s defined benefit pension plan, which is calculated by applying a service-year multiplier (1.6% for years 1–10, 2.0% for years 11–20, and 2.4% for years 21–30) to the average of the officer’s five highest-earning consecutive years. The pension benefit is capped at 60% of that five-year average, rising to a maximum of 70% at 34 years of service.5

In Georgia, employment of police and sheriff’s patrol officers is projected to grow 8.7% from 2022 to 2032 (faster than the 3% national growth rate for this position), with approximately 1,850 new positions added each year on average, according to Projections Central.6 The number of officers hired by the APD in any given year is also affected by retirements and the city’s public safety budget.

Find open Atlanta police officer listings on our jobs board.

Career Advancement at APD

Newly sworn APD officers begin their careers in patrol assignments across one of six geographic zones or the Airport Section. Officers typically serve in patrol for three years before becoming eligible to transfer to a specialty unit or to test for promotion to higher ranks. Specialty assignments across the department include Homicide, Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Special Victims, Narcotics, Gangs, SWAT/EOD, Motors, Aviation, Mounted Patrol, and the Crime Lab, among others.8

The APD’s published rank structure moves from Police Officer to Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Major, Deputy Chief, Assistant Chief, and Chief of Police. Promotion to supervisory ranks is based on a combination of time in service, performance, and competitive testing. The department has not published a promoted-rank base pay table that is currently retrievable; salary figures for sergeants and above should be confirmed against the APD salary and benefits page before publishing.

Cities and Police Departments Near Atlanta

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 11,190 police and sheriff’s patrol officers work in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan area, with a mean annual wage of $63,180 as of May 2024.7 While the APD is the largest employer of officers in the region, nearby agencies recruiting sworn officers include the Decatur Police Department, the Marietta Police Department, the Roswell Police Department, and the Sandy Springs Police Department. For more information about police departments across the state, see our Georgia page.

Additional Resources

Atlanta Police Department Contact

1. US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 Population Estimates, Atlanta city, Georgia: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/atlantacitygeorgia/PST045224
2. Atlanta Police Department Recruiting, Qualifications: https://joinatlantapd.org/qualifications/
3. Atlanta Police Foundation, “Atlanta Police Department Celebrates First Graduation at New Public Safety Training Center,” May 21, 2025: https://atlantapolicefoundation.org/atlanta-police-department-celebrates-first-graduation-at-new-public-safety-training-center/
4. Atlanta Police Department Recruiting, Training Academy: https://joinatlantapd.org/training-academy/
5. Atlanta Police Department Recruiting, Salary & Benefits: https://joinatlantapd.org/salary-and-benefits/
6. Projections Central, Long-Term Occupational Projections, Georgia: https://projectionscentral.org/longterm
7. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0012060
8. Atlanta Police Department 2024 Annual Report: https://www.atlantapd.org/about-apd/annual-report