State training requirements
Arkansas Peace Officer Training Requirements
Who governs peace officer standards in Arkansas, the annual in-service requirement, the mandated topics for de-escalation and crisis response, and who decides what counts for in-service credit.
Verified as of July 9, 2026
Who governs
Peace officer standards and training in Arkansas are set by the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST).
Annual in-service requirement
For continued employment, a full-time Arkansas officer must complete a minimum of 24 hours of CLEST-approved training annually, effective January 1, 2020, superseding the prior 16-hour requirement, per CLEST Rule 1002(3)(l). The 24 must include firearms qualification, duty-to-intervene training, and 4 hours of racial profiling.
Source: Arkansas Admin. Code Agency 132, CLEST Rules (Rule 1002(3)(l), in-service training)
Mandated topics relevant to CodeBlu
Duty to intervene
Duty-to-intervene training is a recurring requirement embedded in the annual 24 hours.
Behavioral health crisis intervention
Behavioral health crisis intervention is a one-time basic-academy requirement of at least 16 hours in a commission-certified basic academy; an optional 40-hour CIT program exists, and agencies must have at least 20 percent of certified officers complete the 40-hour CIT, which is an agency-level rather than a per-officer annual requirement.
Source: Ark. Code 12-9-119 (behavioral health crisis intervention)
Domestic violence
New officers complete at least 20 hours of domestic violence and 20 hours of child abuse training as one-time basic requirements.
Source: Ark. Code 12-9-113
Who decides in-service credit
Centralized approval
CLEST and the Office of Law Enforcement Standards certify schools and courses; only CLEST-approved training counts toward the 24-hour requirement, and agencies must request course or curriculum approval from the Division before holding courses.
Source: Arkansas Admin. Code Agency 132, CLEST Rule 1017 (certification)
What this means for training like CodeBlu
In Arkansas, in-service courses are certified or approved centrally through Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST), so credit does not rest with an individual agency alone. The honest framing for training like CodeBlu is professional development that builds the underlying skills; any formal credit path runs through the state's approval process. This is not a determination of eligibility: CodeBlu does not certify hours or grant credit, and agency policy, the state's process, and legal counsel govern.
Primary sources
- Administrative codeArkansas Admin. Code Agency 132 (CLEST Rules, including Rule 1002 in-service and Rule 1017 certification)
- StatuteArk. Code 12-9-106 (CLEST minimum standards and in-service authority)
- StatuteArk. Code 12-9-119 (behavioral health crisis intervention)
- StatuteArk. Code 12-9-113 (domestic violence and child abuse training)
Verified as of July 9, 2026. This page is reviewed on an annual cadence, and the date is bumped only on re-verification against the primary sources above.
Frequently asked questions
- Who sets peace officer training requirements in Arkansas?
- Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) sets peace officer standards and training requirements in Arkansas.
- How many annual in-service training hours does Arkansas require?
- For continued employment, a full-time Arkansas officer must complete a minimum of 24 hours of CLEST-approved training annually, effective January 1, 2020, superseding the prior 16-hour requirement, per CLEST Rule 1002(3)(l). The 24 must include firearms qualification, duty-to-intervene training, and 4 hours of racial profiling.
- Who decides what training counts for in-service credit in Arkansas?
- CLEST and the Office of Law Enforcement Standards certify schools and courses; only CLEST-approved training counts toward the 24-hour requirement, and agencies must request course or curriculum approval from the Division before holding courses.