South Dakota
South Dakota’s Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training Commission certifies officers and may revoke or suspend certification; by rule, revocations and suspensions go to the National Decertification Index. No statute on officer certification changed from 2023 to 2026. A rule filing effective November 28, 2023 made dismissal from the academy for academic or skill failure a hiring disqualifier, ended the rule that out-of-state or federal re-employment keeps certification alive, capped probationary appointments at 12 cumulative months, opened reciprocity to officers trained more than two years earlier, and let the commission’s executive secretary refuse school sentinel training applications.
- Sources checked
- Part of
- Officer Ledger
At a glance
- Certifying body
- Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training Commission, supported by the Attorney General’s office; the Office of Law Enforcement Training in the Division of Criminal Investigation administers training (SDCL 23-3-28, 23-3-28.1, 23-3-46; ARSD 2:01). The statute calls it the “Law Enforcement Officers Standards Commission”; the rules use “Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training Commission,” and some use a third form.
- Statute
- SDCL 23-3-26 to 23-3-47 (training of law enforcement officers). Rules: ARSD article 2:01 (Law Enforcement Officers).
- Minimum standards
- U.S. citizen; at least 21 at appointment; fingerprinted; good moral character; high school diploma or equivalency; medical certification; an in-person interview; a background check covering driving, criminal, employment, references, credit, social media, and training records; the oath; and no unlawful drug or marijuana use within one year. Unless the commission declares a person eligible, these disqualify: prior revocation or suspension, consent to decertification, a refused application, a violation of chapter 2:01:11, or dismissal from a basic academy for violating the academy handbook or for academic or skill failure. No person may be employed or certified after a guilty or no-contest plea to, or conviction of, an offense punishable by more than one year; lesser offenses are reviewed case by case. Since 2023 the commission may declare eligible a person who received a suspended imposition of sentence for such an offense. Appointment is probationary, for up to 12 cumulative months, until the academy is completed (SDCL 23-3-41, 23-3-42; ARSD 2:01:02:01, 2:01:02:02, 2:01:02:02.01, 2:01:06:02).
- Decertification
- The commission “may revoke or suspend” the certification of an officer who has been convicted of, or received a suspended imposition of sentence for, a felony or a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude; falsified certification information; was discharged for cause; failed the required domestic abuse training; or engaged in conduct unbecoming an officer (ARSD 2:01:11:01; SDCL 23-3-35(3)). Certification expires 24 months after separation unless the officer is re-employed by a South Dakota agency and is current on continuing education (ARSD 2:01:02:11).
- Public decertification list
- No statute or rule requires one, and none was found on the commission’s page, which posts annual reports through fiscal year 2023 (commission page).
- National Decertification Index
- Required by rule: “The executive secretary shall place on the National Decertification Index the officer’s name concerning such revocation or suspension,” and on request must give the investigative report to any other law enforcement agency (ARSD 2:01:11:01, effective June 6, 2021). SDCL chapter 23-3 does not name the Index.
- Continuing training
- 40 hours every two years, including annual firearms requalification, at least 2 hours of crisis intervention or mental illness training, and 2 hours of response-to-resistance training. Agencies certify completion by January 25 after each even-numbered year; an officer who falls short is inactive until the training is done (ARSD 2:01:06:17). By statute, response-to-resistance training is required at least every two years (SDCL 23-3-39.9).
Changes, 2023 to 2026
Commission rules: academy failure disqualifies, certification lapses unless training is current, probation capped, reciprocity widened
Hiring: dismissal from a basic academy for academic or skill failure is a new disqualifier, alongside prior revocation and the other existing bars, and the commission may still declare a person eligible on application. The commission “may” declare eligible a person with a suspended imposition of sentence for an offense punishable by more than one year (new 2:01:02:02.01). Expiration: certification still lapses 24 months after separation, but re-employment by an out-of-state or federal agency no longer stops it. Re-employment by a South Dakota local, state, or tribal agency stops it only if the officer is current on continuing education; otherwise the officer may not perform duties until compliance is documented, and the executive secretary may prorate or waive the requirement. Probation: non-certified appointments may last no more than 12 cumulative months, earlier non-certified service counts against that period, and some separated officers get one 12-month reset. Reciprocity: the commission may let officers trained or separated more than two years earlier use the reciprocity process after a review of their experience. The refresher-course rule was repealed, and the executive secretary may dismiss academy students who fail academic or skills standards. Reserve officers who miss the 96-hour annual duty minimum are now recertified by the executive secretary, not the commission (2:01:09:03). The same filing made parallel changes to the 911 telecommunicator rules in ARSD article 2:05.
For officers: If you leave and are rehired in South Dakota within 24 months, you may not work until your continuing education is documented as current, though the executive secretary may prorate or waive it; a job out of state or with a federal agency no longer keeps it alive.
South Dakota Register, November 13, 2023 ARSD 2:01:02:11 ARSD 2:01:06:03
Executive secretary may refuse school sentinel training applications
The commission’s executive secretary “may refuse” the application of anyone seeking to enroll in the school sentinel training program for failing the standards in 2:01:15:01; misrepresenting, falsifying, or omitting material information in the application; or being barred from possessing firearms under SDCL chapter 22-14 or federal law. A school board may resubmit a refused application after one year.
For officers: This rule covers school sentinel trainees, not certified officers.
Not yet in force and pending
No pending commission rule or bill on officer certification was found. These bills were not enacted: SB 165 (2023, bias and Indian-law initial training), HB 1211 (2025, a ban on DEI programs in law enforcement agencies), HB 1212 (2025, coroner training authority), and HB 1226 (2026, county misconduct-investigation policies).
Checked and unchanged
- SDCL 23-3-26 to 23-3-55: every section’s source note ends before 2023 (the latest is 2021). No 2023 to 2026 session law amended the commission statutes.
- ARSD 2:01:06:17 (continuing education) and 2:01:11:01 (revocation and Index reporting): last amended effective June 6, 2021. No rule in article 2:01 has a source note from 2024 to 2026.
- No South Dakota statute or rule on duty to intervene, Brady or Giglio disclosures, access to officer misconduct records, or officer masks or identification was found.
- Not counted: the 911 telecommunicator rule changes in the November 2023 filing (ARSD article 2:05). HB 1007 (2026) adds tribal officers to the criminal-code definition of law enforcement officer; HB 1298 (2026) makes it a felony to publish an officer’s or judge’s home address, date of birth, or Social Security number with intent to cause fear; HB 1071 (2023) sets use-of-force course standards for civilian pistol instructors. None changes officer certification.
Last updated October 20, 2026Source: United States Council for Law & InvestigationCite as: United States Council for Law & Investigation, “South Dakota officer certification: Officer Ledger,” uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/south-dakota (last updated October 20, 2026). Text licensed CC BY 4.0.