The deadline to apply for the Las Cruces Police Department’s next academy is approaching fast.
Applications for Police Cadet must be submitted no later than Sept. 8, 2025. The academy is set to begin in January 2026.
For the first time, qualified students in New Mexico State University’s Criminal Justice Program can earn 15 academic credits while attending LCPD’s academy. That means a student who applies for the academy now and is accepted can begin training in January to become a Las Cruces police officer. Students can earn 15 academic credits, similar to an internship, while also earning $24 per hour while in the academy.
NMSU students are encouraged to discuss the opportunity with their academic advisor or an LCPD recruiter.
The starting salary for police cadets, those who are accepted into the academy, is $24 per hour while in the academy and $36 for overtime. Graduates from the 22-week academy become officer trainees who receive $26 per hour and $39 for overtime. Officer trainees who successfully complete their one-year probationary status become patrol officers, earn a salary of $28.84 per hour and about $43 for overtime.
LCPD also offers generous hiring incentives for cadets with a three-year commitment. The incentives are non-stackable:
- $11,000 for each cadet.
- $15,000 for an associate degree.
- $20,000 for a bachelor’s degree or four years of honorable military service or retirement from military.
- $25,000 for a bachelor’s degree in sociology, psychology, criminal justice or criminology.
- $30,000 for a master’s degree in sociology, psychology, criminal justice or criminology.
Some recruits who live outside of Las Cruces may be eligible for up to $5,000 in relocation assistance.
New for LCPD is additional hours of leave or vacation time. First-year officers, after completing their one-year probation, earn 256 hours of leave each year. That includes 80 hours of annual leave, 80 hours of personal leave and 96 hours of sick leave. Officers work four 10-hour shifts, so the annual and personal leave amounts to 16 days off each year plus holidays and regular days off.
Applicants are required to be U.S. citizens or have a work authorization from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, be at least 19 years old when the academy begins, have at least a high school diploma and no felony convictions.
The Las Cruces Police Department is allocated 220 commissioned officers. The department currently employs 182 officers.
Prospective candidates can learn more about the academy, link to the application page and contact a recruiter by visiting LCPD online.
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