What age would you consider to be to old to become a police officer?

[Crossroads King]

• Somewhere around mid-30's or early 40's?

[Aidokea]

• Somewhere around mid-30's or early 40's?

It would totally depend upon the individual.

I did my first academy at age 27, and graduated my second one at age 44, and I can tell you that it gets exponentially harder as you get older...

[CCCSD]

• Somewhere around mid-30's or early 40's?

70.

[Aidokea]

I met a 72 year old cop at a small music concert last night in central Texas.

[Iowa #1603]

I really think that is too old to be doing policing...............

[Aidokea]

He's a heck of a guitar player. He's also an avid hunter and Second Amendment rights advocate. I think he's even on the board of the NRA...

[Iowa #1603]

• Somewhere around mid-30's or early 40's?

Oh hell no !

I know a bunch of people who started in their 40's...............

I do however think that the officer who stays on in a line peace officer position after they pass about 55 is doing their body and health a vast disservice. The job of working the street beats the hell out of you. Especially if you have to work 12's or any type of shift work. The job itself hurts the soul. I have talked to very few retired officers who are unhappy that they got out

I am 65. I am in "fair" shape & health. I work in a uniformed, armed NON SWORN position in a Sheriff's Office in a part time basis. I do many of the jobs that a sworn officer does but where a LE license isn't needed. My uniform is identical to the sworn deputies except for the patch (which denotes I am transport/court security). & I work events along side a full deputy. I know for a fact that there is no way I could do their job now. My body can't take the hours, the shift work, nor do I have the stamina to work the 10 hr shifts our deputies work

I'll work the occasional 10-15 hr shift when doing a transport or working the county fair. I might have to do an overnight shift if a prisoner gets put in the hospital but as of late I have been turning them down........it just takes too long for me to recover.

[not.in.MY.town]

In New Jersey, the maximum hiring age for municipal police officers and state troopers is 35. The only exception are veterans who can have the maximum age raised based on their military service.

Mandatory retirement age is 65 for municipal police officers, and 55 for state troopers.

[Iowa #1603]

Mandatory retirement age is 65 for municipal police officers, and 55 for state troopers.

In Iowa the day before you turn 66 is your final day as a sworn officer........it has nothing to do with retirement age, but is a mandatory age when you can no longer be licensed ............Hard limit with only a very few exceptions

[orangebottle]

I was hired as a full-tine officer in my early 50s. Been at it several years now and still love the work.

Based on pre-existing retirement savings and expected pension, I'll be working in some capacity into my mid-60s. I'll stay on the street as long as my body allows me to.

No mandatory retirement age here, but there's a state-mandated firearms test that must be passed to keep LE certification. We recently had an officer leave sworn duty in his 60s because joint problems prevented him from kneeling and proning out within the specified time frame.

[Iowa #1603]

I have known a number of people who have been "retired" when they could no longer qualify on the range per ILEA standards.

I am still making the cut...............but any year that could change

[Aidokea]

You can point shoot out to the 15. It's only at the 25 that it becomes an issue. If you could get the practice ammo, you could even do okay at the 25.

[Iowa #1603]

Biggest part of not being able to qualify on a police range in Iowa is not necessarily the inability to hit the target. Running , kneeling & laying on the ground kills a lot of older officers

[Aidokea]

Understood...

[Aidokea]

I do however think that the officer who stays on in a line peace officer position after they pass about 55 is doing their body and health a vast disservice. The job of working the street beats the hell out of you. Especially if you have to work 12's or any type of shift work. The job itself hurts the soul. I have talked to very few retired officers who are unhappy that they got out.

A-freekin'-men.

But that 72 year old guy looked like he was doing amazingly well...

[Aidokea]

Do you know that deputy?

[Iowa #1603]

No of course not.

[Aidokea]

It was Ted Nugent...

[not.in.MY.town]

Damn, you're gullible (and that's putting it nicely). Ted Nugent is technically a reservist for a sheriff's office in Michigan. He's never done any actual police work. According to Sheriff Robert Hilts, Nugent has no authority or official responsibilities. The only activity involving Nugent that Hilts could recall was raising money on behalf of the department and for a local boy who has cystic fibrosis.

[tanksoldier]

• Somewhere around mid-30's or early 40's?

Dead

If they will hire you and you want to do it, go for it regardless of age

I started at 43 after retiring from the Army, and trying a few other things

[Aidokea]

What age would you consider to be to old to become a police officer?

I would say that you're too old to become a police officer when you no longer can spell the word "too"...

[tanksoldier]

Me, two...

[Aidokea]

Lol.......

[not.in.MY.town]

I would say that the two of you are too immature to be police officers.

[NC Marine]

I would say that IMO there is no maximum age, it all depends on the individual. You can be 50 and as long as you are healthy and take care of yourself, you should be good . Age ranges from 30s and 40s are generally not too old (especially the 30's). I have seen many good Officers in their late 40's to early 50's in excellent condition, the main obstacle would be what are the Agency age limits if they have them.

[just joe]

We have hired a number of officers who have gone into LE as a second career; they are doing fine and have a strong work ethic.

[angeredmgmt]

If just starting out by going through an academy, I would think you'd have to be at the top of your game, and a person in their mid 50s, and especially in their 60s plus, would really have to be at the top of the game. There are self-sponsored academies one can attend without most of the military structure and crazy level fitness and brutal defensive tactics, but again, you'd have to be at the top of your game with all of the other lernin' that goes on.

Just throwing numbers out there, I'd say for the regular fit Joe with a good head on his shoulders, 50 would be the tops. Other than the ability, some departments may not want someone who appears to not have a long career with them or may suffer from more age related health issues or injuries.

[NC Marine]

I would add that many of the older officers that I’ve seen hired, are usually retired from up north, and only attend an abbreviated academy and I don’t think they have to take the physical fitness tests that the full time recruits must pass.

If you are past 40, and are attending a full academy, you will definitely have to train prior to the academy, much different than a 22 year old who could just rely on the academy itself to pass.

[Aidokea]

It depends on the academy- I saw plenty of young people fail my last academy. Our PT instructor was the SWAT team commander, and he apparently thought he was training us to become Navy SEALs. We ran up to 10 miles a day, five days a week, in mid-day summer sun...

[angeredmgmt]

I was watching a YouTube video of San Jose, California PD physical training, and I couldn't see a median 50 + American living through it. As I've said in another thread, I've watch documentaries, news stories, and have watched a ton of YouTube videos over my years about police training, and I'm seeing a big push for strength and cardio I didn't see in my earlier years, which are the late '80s/early '90s. Again, I'm not saying it can't be done, but other than just the stress of the actual PT, there are the other things like defensive tactics and situational training that are, how do I say...BRUTAL!