How To Become A Military Police: What It Is and Career Path

What is a military police and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

If helping others is important for you, but you are also looking for a stable income and a job where career advancement is possible, becoming a military police officer might be the right choice.

Military police are employed by armed forces in the U.S. and perform duties somewhat similar to civilian police, even if their role is more complex. They ensure base security, investigate crimes, control traffic, and enforce the law.

As a military police officer, however, you might also be deployed to battle areas, where you would function as both soldier and peacekeeper. Providing security on military bases and performing patrols and make arrests. Overseas, in battle areas, you secure camps and outposts and perform police duties in occupied areas.

What general advice would you give to a Military Police?

Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

They need to avoid being overzealous officers. They should not put their career at the center of their life. They need to spend quality time with their family. In law enforcement, good relations with the public and colleagues are essential. They need to develop good relationships with the people and their colleagues and expand their professional network. They always try to be a "problem solver officer" rather than a "problem creator officer." If someone asks for help from them, they should treat this person with dignity and respect. They should avoid being arrogant in their interaction with the public. Because arrogance is the worst plague, and Humility is the greatest virtue.

ScoreMilitary PoliceUS Average

Salary

3.3

Avg. Salary $42,633

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.96%

Asian 3.50%

Black or African American 11.94%

Hispanic or Latino 18.50%

Unknown 4.45%

White 60.65%

Gender

female 20.20%

male 79.80%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.0

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a military police

Explore military police education requirements

Most common military police degrees

Bachelor's

33.6 %

High School Diploma

31.1 %

Associate

23.3 %

Start to develop specific military police skills

Skills	Percentages
Patrol	20.18%
Public Safety	12.60%
Emergency Situations	7.45%
Combat	7.18%
Control Traffic	2.93%

Complete relevant military police training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New military polices learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a military police based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real military police resumes.

Research military police duties and responsibilities

Manage all construction projects to ensure all establish DOD security standards are incorporated.
Train and instruct subordinates and support units on suicide prevention, CPR, and physical fitness.
Continue to stay proficient on weapon qualifications for M9 and M4.
Assist in medical emergencies by applying CPR, first aid and other life-saving procedures.

Prepare your military police resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your military police resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a military police resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Military Police Resume templates

Build a professional Military Police resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Military Police resume.

Apply for military police jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a military police job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do military polices rate their job?