The history of the formation of Lviv State University of Internal Affairs dates back to November 1939, when Lviv School of Workers 'and Peasants' Militia began to function.
Lieutenant Luka Svynarenko (a native of Kyiv region, head of the training department of Kharkiv militia school) was appointed the first head of the school. In addition to him, Oleksii Parfonov (head of Kharkiv militia sergeants' training department), Panas Kolisnychenko (head of Mariupol city militia department), Semen Shmakov (an instructor of militia courses in Luhansk) and Terentii Martynchyk (employee of militia personnel department in Kyiv) were sent to Lviv to organize the educational process. Lviv militia school was allocated on the 2rd floor of the building of 12 Zelena Street (at that time the Regional Department of the Workers' Guard (militia) of the Lviv region, now – the Institute of Epidemiology and Hygiene). Admission of cadets was carried out mainly from the demobilized. Initially, the training period was 3 months, later - 6 months. For the first two sets, 265 employees were trained to work in passport services and at militia stations. The third set trained 150 operative workers for criminal investigation departments.
At the beginning of 1940, new staff from all regions of the Soviet Union joined the permanent staff of the school. In the same year, the school was moved to 34 Chapaiev Street (since 1964 - May 1, now – Horodotska). In August 1940, the institution was reorganized into a two-year school for the training of militia chiefs, which ceased to exist with the outbreak of World War II in the USSR. During the war, the instructors of the school created a company to fight the German landing (commander P. Kolisnychenko).
In June 1945, the school was renamed Lviv Interregional Militia School, and in March 1946 it was renamed Lviv Militia School of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR with a staff of 66 permanent and 250 variable personnel. Most of the cadets were former veterans. The first post-war graduation took place in December 1946 and numbered 242 people. According to the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR of February 8, 1947, the school trained specialists in the department of operational supervision and in nine-month retraining courses for operatives.
In 1950, the educational institution was reorganized to train employees of the passport service; a retraining department was organized for the heads of city militia departments and their deputies with a one-year term of study. In 1955, the school was reorganized into a special secondary school of the militia for the training of operatives with a secondary legal education, which trained operatives and investigators. In 1957, the department of evening and extra-mural training was opened for the training of criminal investigation operatives and district inspectors. The training lasted 1 year and 10 months, and the graduates were given the rank of "militia lieutenant" and the qualification of "lawyer".
Heads of the school: Luka Svynarenko (1939-1941), Stepan Linkov (1945-1952), Ivan Loburenko (1952-1957), Vasyl Svavolia (1957-1966), Kyrylo Kolodii (1966-1976), Oleksandr Yatsenko (1976-1978), Heorhii Minaiev (1978-1984), Volodymyr Lutsenko (1984-1985), Volodymyr Kashyn (1986-1989), Oleksandr Demydiuk (1989-1990), Victor Rehulskyi (1990-1992).
In 1989, Lviv special secondary school of the militia of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR was merged with Lviv special secondary of the militia for training of the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR into Lviv special secondary school of the militia and the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR
Lviv militia officer school of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR is an educational institution that operated during 1951-1989. The school was staffed by officers and sergeants of the former 32nd Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR. The term of study was 11 months; graduates were given the rank of "junior lieutenant of the internal service." In 1955, this school began training specialists according to a two-year program and was renamed Lviv secondary special training school for the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR. The first set was 200 people. After graduation, the cadets received the rank of "lieutenant of the internal service".
On March 11, 1992, the joint educational institution was renamed Lviv Vocational School of The Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
According to the state program of combating crime, Lviv Institute of Internal Affairs under the Ukrainian (later - National) Academy of Internal Affairs was established by the order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine No. 741 of November 22, 1993 on the basis of Lviv Vocational School of Internal Affairs and Lviv department of the extra-mural faculty of the Ukrainian Academy of Internal Affairs.
Lviv Institute of Internal Affairs under the National Academy of Internal Affairs of Ukraine was reorganized into Lviv Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 118-r of March 04, 2004. In November 2005, Lviv Law Institute was transferred to Kyiv National University of Internal Affairs.
In accordance with the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1266 of December 23, 2005, Lviv Law Institute of Kyiv National University of Internal Affairs was reorganized into Lviv State University of Internal Affairs (LVDUVS).
Rectors of the institute (university): Viktor Rehulskyi (1994-2002), Volodymyr Ortynskyi (2002-2010), Bohdan Shchur (2010), Oleksandr Marin (2010-2011), Mykhailo Tsymbaliuk (2011-2014), Valerii Sereda (2014-2016) ), Roman Blahuta (since December 2016).