Probably asked and answered a million times before, but here it is again.

I'm 35 years old.  Office worker and a professional in insurance.  I'm sick of it and have really considered if this is what I want to be doing for the rest of my life... reconciling spreadsheets and creating reports for management to review.  I'm in very good physical shape thanks to hitting the gym three times a week for the last 15 years straight, so I think I could handle the physical aspect of being a cop.  I have a wife and a young kid, but I don't know if the lady would be entirely on-board with me taking my life in a new direction at this time.  I feel like I need to be doing something different, though, and the work that LEO's do makes a difference.  I think I need that.  

What say the people here?  Am I going crazy or what?  Is this move even possible let alone wise?  Thanks.

Possible, yes...wise, that's another story.  

Look into divorce rates in LE.  Do you like sleeping all day and working all night?  You better because as a rook, that's most likely the shift you'll get.  Do you like seeing the most horrible selfish human beings on the planet?  I hope so because that's your clientele.  Do you like having your life picked apart?  I hope so, because in order to even pass the entrance exams, you have to become an open book.  Do you like being challenged in court and constantly have your every move questioned?  I hope so, welcome to defending every breath you take.  Do you like doing the dirty work and never being recognized for your good deeds, but rather hated for it?  You better, police are not viewed as the good guys.

Yes, there are plus sides, but just about every long time LEO will tell you, "I should have been a fireman."

If you want to do something good for the community, join SAR or start out as a reserve or something like that, but I wouldn't put all your eggs in the LE basket until you know what you're getting into first.

I can't give you a definitive answer either way.  While 35 is certainly older than average for going into law enforcement, I've seen guys about that age hired (myself, I didn't go in until I was 28).
I don't imagine that your wife will be thrilled about giving up the steady income from your current job for a job that you might get.  Certainly not with a young child to support.  
Law enforcement can be a great job if you have the right attitude and can get in with an agency that contains people of similar mindset (I like where I am, but I know that I'd be miserable at a neighboring agency; the difference is the overall difference in department cultures).
Good luck whichever way you decide to go.

ETA:  Luke77 beings up a good point: it's shift work.  At some point, probably for at least the first few years, you'll likely be working nights.  If that's a big hindrance, don't even start down the career path.

You'll also be working weekends and holidays, make sure the wife will be cool with that.

I've been on the job 22  years now FWIW. The posters above offer sage advice OP. It can be a long had row to hoe that's for sure but, not totally without it's intangible rewards at times. If you want or need constant validation or positive vibes, be a firefighter. But I've come to find they have their detractors also. You will live under a microscope and your actions will ALMOST ALWAYS be questioned. It's gotten to the point where I don't look at the BWC (body worn camera) as protecting the public from me, I look at it as protecting me from the public. I turn it on whenever I am out of my car, even just to go get coffee and I work in an area that's actually fairly police friendly. Do some ride alongs first. Do them with different agencies in the area. Get to know the coppers and try to dig as deep as they will let you with questions. In fact, lay out the questions first. If you're still interested then have a serious conversation with the wife and family about it. Wherever your life journey takes you OP I wish the best for you.

Lots of good comments already.  

I would check the pay at potential agencies compared to what you are making currently.  Make sure that you can make a living on what the PD/SO would pay in your area.  It might be a pay raise.   Or, more likely it'll be a pay cut.  

You do need your wife to be on board with it.  She might not agree 100% but she needs to at least support you.  If you don't have her support, it'll be a long road for you.  You might love the job and then hate going home....which leads to working longer and longer hours.....which then leads to divorce.  

I've been on the job almost 14 years.  I love it.  It's all I want to do. However, everyone is different.  Not everyone is cut out to be a cop.

For both the jail and patrol academy I went through, there was someone over 55.

Thanks everyone.  I'm going to try to schedule a ride along with the local PD, since they offer that.  I'll at least get a glimpse of what life is like as a LEO before doing anything rash.

Age is not really an issue, but having the wife on board with your decisions will make a huge difference in not only your dedication, but the hiring process.

Look more into it before you make the leap, find out what agencies you want to work for that have age cut-off's.  When I left LE in Cali to move out here to TX there was an age requirement and I just barely made it in under that by 4 1/2 months.

Good idea to do a ride-along, and get with any family friends or friends of friends who are police or any type of LEO and talk to them about it as well.

But definitely talk to the wife, and make sure this is something you will both be willing to do together, or it is something you will most likely end up doing alone, and that's no good.

If you are in the West Fort Worth area, jet me an IM and I'll see what else I can offer up in the way of help and advice.  I went full-time LEO in my 30's as well, after working almost 10 years with one company and a bunch of other jobs before that, and was married with a child too.

 
And graveyard shift too.

If the dept works 8 hour shifts, expect to have like Tuesdays & Wednesdays as your scheduled off days for x-number of years.

Approaching my 1st year in IT, and loving it more than my 16 years in LE.

Still getting used to being off on weekends and holidays.

Could even do Federal, but you must be appointed by your 37th birthday.

 
That's less than 2 years.

Doesn't the fed hiring process take a minimum of 18 months?

Put a resume together.
Go to USAjobs.
Fit your resume into their guidelines ... no BS.
Search LE job listings and start narrowing it down.
Keep an open mind as to just what a "job in law enforcement" is.
If you decide to go Federal, understand that your career may take some unexpected turns,
and that some may be good and some may be not so good. But there are plenty of opportunities.
FWIW ... unless you spent 35 yrs in your first nest or under a rock, you probably have a lot more
life experience and job skills than most who enter LE.  
After 22 yrs w USDOJ (Fed LE mandatory retired at 57) ... that's my 2c.
good luck to you.

Stay safe

Whatever you do you had better do it soon. Some may say age dont matter but it does. When I was 35yo I was still running 30 to 40 a week, weightlifting....ect By the time you hit your mid 40s you start feeling it and when you hit 50 your days of running them down are long over.

This job takes a toll on your body and mind. I still stay in shape but the simple act of getting in and out of squad cars for 37 year has given me left hip problems. Most of us have back problems. I know a lot of guys who have had other health issues. Depending where you work if your running from one hot call to another, decades of it will take a toll on you.

Basically this is a young mans job. Were I you I'd look for a suburb, small town, or maybe Federal spot thats a little more laid back. No place is totally safe but its a lot safer then the 3+ decades Ive spent in this ghetto. I mean I dont want my kid working the big city.

The job can be rewarding. Best wishes to you.

The only reason to become police is if you want to be police, for better or worse.  If you want to make a difference, run for president or volunteer at your church or something along those lines.  In the grand scheme of things, you won't make a lick of difference to whatever "community" you serve.  You can catch the big bad bank robber or thwart a serial rapist and all that will be forgoten by the grateful public and the admin the minute you tell some drunk to go fuck himself.  All of a sudden you're the poster boy for mean cops everywhere, as well as focus of the GD firing squad, and you'll have plenty of time to think about your actions as you're riding the desk for punishment.  You can eat a bullet from a gangbanger or get run down by a DUI and the hero worship by the public will be over before they even put you in the ground.  Chances are that in the comments bellow the news blip about your funeral will be some people that will bitch about being stuck in traffic because of your funeral procession.  Sure, your comrades are going to raise a few grand to send back to your family along with insurance, instead of a husband and a father, but the mayor of your city ain't gonna declare any day a SaurusX Day, no streets or schools will be named after you.  Outside your department, no one will even remember your name.  And even if no one and nothing gets you, you'll retire emotionally calloused and physically broken with a high likelyhood of stress induced heart disease, depression, suicide, etc.

But hey, if you really want to play human garbage man, there are plenty here that can help with the application process.

So much truth posted.

 

If you have to ask. If you really want to do it go be a reserve first.

And then expect to have court on at least one of those days.

CBP Openings

CBP is open.

You've got two years to get in, the cut off is 37.





Mine took almost 5 years.  But, if he gets a tentative job offer before 37, he's good.  The job offer itself may not take too long, it's the other B.S. (Health screening, Poly, Background, etc) that takes forever.

That being said, I've seen people hired - from test to enter on duty in 6 months.

go for it! You can have my spot haha.
I'm out after just under 3 years and going to an office job
well probably- we'll see where engineering takes me.

If you don't do much with extended family on holidays then just plan your family holiday gathering/dinner/outting for a day other than the holiday itself, then volunteer to work a double and make beaucoup overtime.

At my former dept, he'd have to work over 171 hours, in a 28 day pay period, before seeing overtime.

 
And if he took sick/vacation days during that 28 day period, it didn't count towards the 171 hour requirement.

Not always

Job offer doesn't count.  You must be appointed (i.e., begin employment) by the 37th birthday.  This is because of the 6c coverage.  Mandatory retirement is at 57 but you must have 20 years of service to receive the benefits.  

Baltimore Police is always hiring and they dont give one damn about age. had a guy who was 50 in my class. man was a machine though... but they still dont care so long as you can pass the initial pt test

Then plan to kiss your marriage or the job goodbye.

One of my academy mates was 40 and had left the fire department in search of a change.  He was in better physical condition, despite being a smoker, than those of us non-military cadets as he apparently used his downtime at the firehouse to stay in shape.

I got hired at 39.