Starting January 1, 2027, the Arizona peace officer standards and training board must offer an alternative certification pathway for honorably discharged military police veterans that credits their military training, allows a shorter Arizona training program, and requires the board to process completed applications within 60 days.
Official title: peace officer certification; alternative pathway
- September 12, 2026
- January 1, 2027: Board must establish the alternative pathway for military police veterans beginning on this date
What changes
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NowBeginning January 1, 2027, the board must establish an alternative pathway to peace officer certification for U.S. armed forces veterans who were military police officers and were honorably discharged.
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NowThe pathway must accept an applicant's existing military police training and experience toward Arizona's peace officer standards and training requirements.
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NowEligible applicants may complete an abbreviated Arizona training program focused on state laws, procedures and community policing requirements.
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NowApplicants must still pass the board-approved certification exam on peace officer procedures and state law, and meet all current requirements on moral character, medical and psychological fitness, and background investigations.
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NowApplicants must apply on a board-prescribed form, and the board must process all applications within 60 days after receiving a completed application.
Who it affects
- Honorably discharged U.S. armed forces veterans who served as military police officers
- People seeking Arizona peace officer certification
- Arizona peace officer standards and training board
- Law enforcement agencies that hire peace officers
What you need to do
Nothing, unless you are an eligible military police veteran who wants to use the new pathway; then you would submit an application on the board's form once the pathway is available (beginning January 1, 2027).
What the law doesn't answer
- How long the abbreviated training program will be or what it will cost
- How much military police service or experience is needed to qualify
- What documents prove military police service or honorable discharge
- Whether veterans of reserve or National Guard military police units qualify
- What happens if the board does not process an application within 60 days
This summary describes the law as enacted. Later laws, court rulings or referendum petitions can change the picture. Check the official text for the current wording.