Where you can serve
Seven units, one standard
Specialty assignments open up once you're off probation. Most troopers pick up a secondary unit inside their first few months.
HEAT
SelectiveHighway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic
Speed, reckless driving, and the pursuits that come out of it. If you like being on the interstate, this is where you end up.
SORT
SelectiveSpecial Operations Response Team
Barricades, high-risk warrants, the calls nobody wants to take alone. Callout roster, not a full-time post.
IA
By selectionInternal Affairs
Investigates our own. Complaints, use-of-force reviews, and anything that needs a set of eyes outside the chain of command.
ASU
SelectiveAir Support Unit
Overwatch for pursuits and searches from above, coordinating with whoever's on the ground across all six troops.
FTO
TrainingField Training / Training Division
Runs the FTO program and trains the next class. Senior troopers who'd rather teach the job than just do it.
CVE
Post-FTOCommercial Vehicle Enforcement
Weight, load, and inspection work on the freight corridors and at the scales. Steadier pace, still real enforcement.
EPU
SelectiveExecutive Protection Unit
Details and protection for state officials and VIP movements. Small unit, high standard, mostly by recommendation.
Before you apply
Requirements
Read both columns first.
You must
All requiredBe at least 16 years of age.
Hold an account in good standing, created more than 30 days ago.
Be in the State of Madison Discord and reachable there for the whole process.
Have or willing to obtain a LETI cetification.
Commit to a minimum of one hour on patrol per week.
Read the state penal code and vehicle code before your interview.
Automatic disqualifiers
Any one ends itAn open criminal matter or unserved sentence on the public docket.
A felony conviction in the last 90 days that has not been expunged.
A prior termination from this department for cause.
An active ban or standing moderation action in the State of Madison.
Anything false or omitted on the application. This is the one we can't work around.
Not sure what's on your record? Search the records website
Public forms
File with the department
Start to badge
Apply, get certified, hit the road
No LETI certification yet? We'll sponsor you through it. Already certified? You skip straight to FTO. Either way, recruiting tells you exactly where you stand at each step.
Application
Twelve questions and a short written scenario. Takes about twenty minutes. Reviewed within 72 hours.
LETI certification
Already LETI certified? You move straight to FTO. If not, we sponsor you through it.
FTO program
A short field training stretch riding with an FTO.
FTO Program
Riding with a training officer, running real calls.
FTO Program
Short, hands-on, and over quick
Once you're LETI certified — sponsored or otherwise — you go straight into the FTO program. It's brief on purpose: you ride with a training officer, take the calls yourself, and get corrected in real time instead of sitting through weeks of lecture first.
Phase 1
Observe
Ride along, watch stops and calls handled start to finish.
Phase 2
Run it yourself
You take the lead on stops and calls, FTO steps in when needed.
Phase 3
Sign-off
FTO clears you solo once you can handle a shift on your own.
After
Solo patrol
Your own car and unit number, sixty-day probation running.
Now accepting applications
Twenty minutes now,
or another cycle waiting.
Recruiting office
Questions
Asked before
Anything not here, ask recruiting directly.
Do I need a LETI certification to apply?
No. If you already have one, you skip straight to FTO after your interview. If you don't, we sponsor you through it — you just have to apply first.
How much time does this actually take each week?
One hour on patrol is the floor. If a real-life week goes sideways, tell your sergeant in advance and it's a non-issue.
I have a conviction on the docket. Am I done?
Not necessarily. Open matters and recent unexpunged felonies are hard stops; older or expunged records usually aren't. Disclose it on the application — getting caught hiding it is the disqualifier, not the record itself.
Can I be in another department at the same time?
Not another Madison law enforcement agency.