Become an Agent - Original

Contact an LDWF Agent Recruiter

If you have any questions about becoming an LDWF agent, please email recruiting@wlf.la.gov. 

LDWF’s Law Enforcement Division is made up of nearly 200 agents who work throughout the state with the primary mission of protecting Louisiana’s natural resources and serving the people who use them. Beyond the traditional role of ensuring compliance with licensing and harvesting regulations, agents also conduct search and rescues and homeland security missions, enforce boating safety laws, investigate boating crash incidents and hunting accidents, and provide boater education classes for thousands of citizens each year.

Before You Apply

If you’re interested in becoming an agent, you must complete the following steps before applying:

• Take the Protective Services Exam (PSE) and get a score of 77 or above. Apply to take the test on the Department of Civil Service’s website.
• Meet ONE of the following qualifications:
• Two years of experience as a Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Level 1 certified peace officer in a full-time position, whose job duties include armed duty with the power of arrest
• A minimum of 60 semester hours from an accredited college or university 
• Any two-year combination of the previous two options (30 semester hours are equivalent to one year of experience)
• Completion of an associate degree from a technical college. Accumulation of technical college hours without an associate degree does not qualify
• A completed diploma or certificate in a two-year program from a vocational or technical school
• Four years of continuous active military duty (all military occupational specialties are included).

Agent Benefits

Candidates can expect the benefits linked at the button below if they become an agent.

Apply

LDWF posts openings for law enforcement agents on the Department of Civil Service’s website listed under “Wildlife Cadet.” If you’re interested in a position, you must submit an application for employment via the website by the closing date of the position announcement.

Interview

If you’re selected for an interview, you must fill out the below forms and bring them with you to your interview.

• Authorization for Release of Personal Information
• Criminal Background Check Form
• Relatives Disclosure Form
• Personal Data Questionnaire

Training Academy 

If you’re hired, you must first meet our Entrance Standards to get into the academy.  Please see the video below that demonstrates the proper pushup, situp, 1.5 mile run and swimming requirements.



After meeting the entrance standards, cadets will begin approximately six months of training at the Waddill Training and Emergency Response Complex in Baton Rouge. Law enforcement cadets train Monday through Friday but may go home on weekends and holidays. Law enforcement cadets receive full state benefits and pay beginning the first day of training. 

In the academy, you will receive:

• POST certification, which is required of all Louisiana law enforcement officers. POST certification consists of physical fitness, defensive tactics, firearms, state and federal laws, proper law enforcement and arrest procedures, DWI detection and apprehension, standard first aid, and other areas of law enforcement.
• Specialized training in areas consistent with that of an LDWF Law Enforcement Agent, including more intense physical fitness training, defensive tactics, firearms training, ATV operator certification, waterfowl detection and violator apprehension, wildlife forensics, wildlife and fish identification, land and water navigation, extensive boat handling, enforcement of state and federal wildlife and fisheries laws, water survival, marine theft identification, and hunter education instructor certification.

Intense physical fitness training is important for LDWF Law Enforcement Agents because of the remote and rugged areas in which they work. An agent may have to drag and paddle a pirogue, travel by boat in rough seas, ride an ATV over rough terrain, or walk a mile or more in the mud. The physical demands of being an LDWF Law Enforcement Agent require agents to remain in top physical shape.

The specialized defensive tactics and firearms training extends beyond POST-certification training to include marine environments, rural night operations, and boat operations.

Field Training 

Upon graduating from the academy, cadets are assigned to a parish where they will participate in a closely supervised field training officer program. After they successfully complete this program, cadets are promoted to LDWF Law Enforcement Agents.