So, I've been asking around, talking to different officers, studying the state statute regarding this age limitation of 35 years old for the majority municipal police departments in Illinois. I thought I was disqualified because my experience as a police officer is PAST experience and not CURRENT experience, and it was part-time, to boot. But, according to a fire and police comissioner of a town near me, he says that as of January 1, 2008, the exception to the law states that if a person is over 35 years of age, and has been "previously employed" (that's the key words here) by a municipality, that person IS ELIGIBLE.
The exact wording of the exemption (to statute 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6):
"(d) The age limitation in subsection (a) does not apply (i) to any person previously employed as a policeman or fireman in a regularly constituted police or fire department of (I) any municipality, regardless of whether the municipality is located in Illinois or in another state,..." (the rest of the exemption applies to firefighters)
Nothing is stated that requires the applicant to be full time or to have served a certain number of years, or to have been separated for less than a certain amount of time, nada!!
SO, for those of you who fall in the same boat as me, we are still useful to a lot more departments than we thought!
The exact wording of the exemption (to statute 65 ILCS 5/10-2.1-6):
"(d) The age limitation in subsection (a) does not apply (i) to any person previously employed as a policeman or fireman in a regularly constituted police or fire department of (I) any municipality, regardless of whether the municipality is located in Illinois or in another state,..." (the rest of the exemption applies to firefighters)
Nothing is stated that requires the applicant to be full time or to have served a certain number of years, or to have been separated for less than a certain amount of time, nada!!
SO, for those of you who fall in the same boat as me, we are still useful to a lot more departments than we thought!

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