Peace Officer

Our regional accreditation is North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Higher Learning Commission.

Hennepin Tech's Law Enforcement Professional Licensing Program is accredited by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training and is the only program in the Twin Cities that provides both the academic and skills components of the mandated law enforcement curriculum.

Hennepin Tech's Law Enforcement Professional Licensing Program is a consortium of Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area community colleges of the Minnesota State system. These colleges include:

• Century College
• Inver Hills Community College
• Normandale Community College
• North Hennepin Community College

Articulations

For a full listing of current articulation agreements, visit the Minnesota Transfer website.

• Century College
• Inver Hills Community College
• Minneapolis Community & Technical College
• Normandale Community College
• North Hennepin Community College
• Metropolitan State University

Industry Partners

Our advisory committee is made up of law enforcement professionals from many different agencies. They help guide the program to keep our curriculum current and cutting-edge.

USDE Professional Licensure Disclosure

The Hennepin Technical College Peace Officer curriculum is designed to help prepare students to sit for the professional licensure exam for Minnesota. At this time, Hennepin Technical College is unable to make a determination if the Peace Officer program meets the licensing requirement for any state or US protectorate besides Minnesota. You will want to contact the licensing board in which state you intend to pursue licensure for their requirements, below we provide a link to a list of each states licensing board. If you have further questions about licensure for Law Enforcement please contact Peace.Officer@HennepinTech.edu.

For more information on state licensing boards and their contact information for Law Enforcement visit the Go Law Enforcement website.

Last reviewed 03/28/2025

To be accepted into the Peace Officer Certificate program, you must complete the Peace Officer Application in addition to the Hennepin Technical College Application.

For additional information on applying and the application process, please visit the Admissions page.

1. Our faculty include current and past law enforcement officers who will use their broad experience to give you the best and most practical training possible.

Dale Burns, Faculty
Phone: 763-657-3706
Email: Dale.Burns@HennepinTech.edu

Mark Holden, Faculty
Phone: 763-657-3715
Email: Mark.Holden@HennepinTech.edu

Scott Zierden, Faculty
Email: Scott.Zierden@HennepinTech.edu

The department includes staff dedicated to the program.

Tom Draper, Director and PPOE Coordinator
Phone: 763-657-3726
Email: Tom.Draper@HennepinTech.edu

Kim Schmidt, Receptionist
Phone: 763-657-3700
Email: Kimberly.Lepins@HennepinTech.edu

Carol Peterson, Program Specialist
Phone: 
Email: Carol.Peterson@HennepinTech.edu

Our Customized Training Department works directly with law enforcement agencies.

Jordan Wild, Customized Training Representative
Phone: 763-657-3707
Email: Jordan.Wild@HennepinTech.edu