# Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-106: Qualifications of police officers > Tennessee · Statutes · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-106 ## Section - **Citation:** Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-106 - **Heading:** Qualifications of police officers - **Jurisdiction:** Tennessee - **Kind:** Statutes - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** TN Code / Title 38 / Chapter 8 / Section 38-8-106 ## Text Any person employed as a full-time police officer, and any person employed or utilized as a part-time, temporary, reserve or auxiliary police officer or as a special deputy, shall: (1) Be at least eighteen (18) years of age; (2) Be a citizen of the United States, or a permanent legal resident of the United States who is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States armed forces pursuant to § 38-8-105(d) ; (3) Be a high school graduate or possess a high school equivalency credential approved by the state board of education; (4) Not have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to or entered a plea of nolo contendere to any felony charge or to any violation of any federal or state laws or city ordinances relating to force, violence, theft, dishonesty, gambling, liquor, controlled substances or controlled substance analogues; (5) Not have been released or discharged under any other than honorable discharge from any of the armed forces of the United States; (6) Have the person's fingerprints on file with the Tennessee bureau of investigation; (7) Have passed a physical examination by a licensed physician or a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, so long as the task is expressly included in the written protocol developed jointly by the supervising physician and the nurse practitioner or physician assistant, whichever is applicable, setting forth the range of services that may be performed by the nurse practitioner or physician assistant; (8) Have a good moral character as determined by a thorough investigation conducted by the employing agency; and (9) Have been certified by a Tennessee licensed health care provider qualified in the psychiatric or psychological field as being free from any impairment, as set forth in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association at the time of the examination, that would, in the professional judgment of the examiner, affect the applicant's ability to perform an essential function of the job, with or without a reasonable accommodation. Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 114,s 7, eff. 7/1/2023. Amended by 2015 Tenn. Acts, ch. 498, s 2, eff. 5/20/2015. Amended by 2013 Tenn. Acts, ch. 137, s 4, eff. 4/12/2013. Acts 1981, ch. 455, § 6; T.C.A., § 38-11-106; Acts 1983, ch. 270, § 6; 1988, ch. 968, § 2; 1990, ch. 1094, § 2; 1993, ch. 374, § 2; 2001, ch. 42, § 1; 2009 , ch. 264, § 1; 2012 , ch. 848, § 12. Any person employed as a full-time police officer, and any person employed or utilized as a part-time, temporary, reserve or auxiliary police officer or as a special deputy, shall: (1) Be at least eighteen (18) years of age; (2) Be a citizen of the United States, or a permanent legal resident of the United States who is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States armed forces pursuant to § 38-8-105(d) ; (3) Be a high school graduate or possess a high school equivalency credential approved by the state board of education; (4) Not have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to or entered a plea of nolo contendere to any felony charge or to any violation of any federal or state laws or city ordinances relating to force, violence, theft, dishonesty, gambling, liquor, controlled substances or controlled substance analogues; (5) Not have been released or discharged under any other than honorable discharge from any of the armed forces of the United States; (6) Have the person's fingerprints on file with the Tennessee bureau of investigation; (7) Have passed a physical examination by a licensed physician or a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, so long as the task is expressly included in the written protocol developed jointly by the supervising physician and the nurse practitioner or physician assistant, whichever is applicable, setting forth the range of services that may be performed by the nurse practitioner or physician assistant; e passed a physical examination by a licensed physician or a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, so long as the task is expressly included in the written protocol developed jointly by the supervising physician and the nurse practitioner or physician assistant, whichever is applicable, setting forth the range of services that may be performed by the nurse practitioner or physician assistant; (8) Have a good moral character as determined by a thorough investigation conducted by the employing agency; and (9) Have been certified by a Tennessee licensed health care provider qualified in the psychiatric or psychological field as being free from any impairment, as set forth in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association at the time of the examination, that would, in the professional judgment of the examiner, affect the applicant's ability to perform an essential function of the job, with or without a reasonable accommodation. Amended by 2023 Tenn. Acts, ch. 114,s 7, eff. 7/1/2023. Amended by 2015 Tenn. Acts, ch. 498, s 2, eff. 5/20/2015. Amended by 2013 Tenn. Acts, ch. 137, s 4, eff. 4/12/2013. Acts 1981, ch. 455, § 6; T.C.A., § 38-11-106; Acts 1983, ch. 270, § 6; 1988, ch. 968, § 2; 1990, ch. 1094, § 2; 1993, ch. 374, § 2; 2001, ch. 42, § 1; 2009 , ch. 264, § 1; 2012 , ch. 848, § 12. ## Nearby sections - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-101 Part definitions](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-101.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-102 Tennessee peace officer standards and training commission - Creation and composition](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-102.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-103 Director - Staff - Expenses of members](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-103.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-104 Powers and duties of commission](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-104.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-105 Minimum standards binding on governmental entities - Penalty for violation](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-105.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-106 Qualifications of police officers](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-106.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-107 Certification of officers - In-service training by employing agency - Decertification check](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-107.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-108 Donations of property or money to commission](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-108.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-109 Stricter qualifications and standards by employing agency](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-109.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-110 Application of chapter](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-110.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-111 In-service training - Cash supplements](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-111.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-112 Courses on use of citations in lieu of arrest - Domestic violence training - Procedures to respond to persons with mental illness](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-112.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-113 Choke holding training](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-113.md) - [Tenn. Code Ann. § 38-8-114 Community policing pilot programs](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-114.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_TN_T38_C8_S38-8-106. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.