Minimum or Basic Qualifications for Police Officer Exam

Age

The minimum age at which you may apply to the police department can be as confusing as where you must live. Many agencies permit you to apply at a much younger age than when you can actually be appointed. In policing, the term "appointed" is used to designate when you actually begin your career in a police department. Thus, when police officers refer to their "appointment date," they are talking about the first day they began their employment.

Exceedingly few—if any—agencies will appoint you before you turn 18; most require you to be 20 or 21 before permitting you to begin academy training. Despite this prohibition, many departments not only permit, but actually encourage, candidates to apply for and to take the written exam in advance of the age at which they can be appointed.

Some departments, in an effort to encourage a wider selection of applicants, allow you to complete an application as young as 16. Many departments believe that early testing would encourage young people who knew they had passed the test to maintain a healthy and lawful lifestyle so that they would not jeopardize their career possibilities. Also, in many parts of the country, the list of eligible candidates who have passed the written exam might be used for up to three or more years. Knowing the length of time that can pass from initial application to the actual hiring date, agencies realize that even if candidates took the test well before the age of appointment, most would be old enough to become officers once they completed the entire hiring process. Whatever the age restrictions, make sure you understand the differences between the age at which you are eligible to apply, the age at which you are eligible to take the written test, and the age at which you are eligible to be appointed as a police officer.

The Older Applicant

Not everyone decides to become a police officer at a young age. What if you are an older applicant? Maybe becoming a police officer was a dream you deferred. Maybe changes in your current profession have led you to consider a career in policing. If you are in good physical condition and meet the other requirements, your age is no longer a barrier to employment. The vast majority of non-federal law enforcement agencies today have no maximum age limit. After a number of laws and lawsuits, departments eventually altered their requirements so that if you are able to pass the physical agility and medical tests and complete the physical requirements of the police academy, you are eligible to join the department. Older recruits still attract media attention, though; many recruits in their 40s, 50s, and even a handful in their early 60s will be the subject of local newspaper stories. If you are an older-than-average applicant, you should learn as much as you can about your agency of choice to get a sense of wheth r you will be comfortable in a situation where not only your peers, but the majority of your supervisors, may be much younger than you are.

Education

A high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) remains the most common educational requirement to begin a law enforcement career. According to DOJ, more than 80 percent of departments require either a high school diploma or a GED, although the majority of federal law enforcement agencies require a college education. Of the non-federal agencies that require more than a high school diploma or GED, only 1 percent require a four-year college degree; the others require some combination of either a two-year (associate's) degree or a minimum number of college credits, usually about 60 (which is generally equal to a college-level junior). Where college credits are required, two years of military experience can often be substituted if you were discharged honorably.

This does not mean you should neglect getting an education. The same DOJ study found that many police officers have educational levels in excess of what is required. Also, some departments require additional education for promotion. Having these added credits or a degree before you join the department will permit you to apply for promotion at the earliest possible opportunity. If you are still in school, becoming a police officer before earning your degree can have financial benefits, since, according to DOJ, more than 30 percent of local departments offer either incentive pay or tuition reimbursement to officers.