I posted this on the general discussion board, then realized it would probably be better suited here:

Here's the deal. I've been working in IT for sixteen-damn-years now and am sick of it. From the age of 16 I wanted to be a LEO, and took a test 10 years ago - scored 3rd out of 900. However they were only hiring 2.

Gave up that idea, and went back to my daily BS support of clueless end users, which I am still doing today.

Applied in April, and took the Entry Level LEO exam for the state of Michigan for a Conservation Officer position this week. If I pass the written, here's the question:

Will my being age 40 be held against me as far as further consideration? All the other guys testing (and two women) were no older than 25-30.

Just want to know if I'm spinning my wheels here thinking it will ever get anywhere further.

Thanks!

As long as there is no age restriction, you should have as good a chance as anyone. If there is a physical fitness test, make sure you are in shape. Incidentally, a buddy of mine graduated from the Maryland State Police Academy in 1990. A classmate of his was a 40 year old Vietnam Vet. You can hack it.

I was 35 when I took the NYPD exam last year. Now I'll be an officer for a full year come July 1st.  I was the 4th oldest in my Company.  The oldest was 39.

I'm in my 8th week of academy and I am 35:)

Thanks guys!

GOOD LUCK!!!! And be ALL that you can be!!!
Stick with it I had two guys in their mid-40's
in my class ( which was some 30 yrs ago) and they made it through not easy being out of
school that long and trying to make a comeback.
Practice studying and doing mental drills,ect.
Don't give up and remember they only have
your butt at the academy for whatever time period the course takes, think of it like boot camp  only so many months or weeks/days/hours.

You'll Make it

2 of 5? Borg?

Nah, barcode symbology: like UPC, Code 39, Postnet, Codabar

2 of 5:

Go for it, if you want to join the ranks of the underpaid & underappreciated....

I was almost 32 when I got into law enforcement, & I was the oldest in my Basic Law Enforcement Training class. Most of the guys were 20-22 years old, but the only place they really had an advantage was in PT. Guess who ended up #1 in the class overall & on the state certification exam?

Physical fitness will be a major requirement for your job, if it's anything like the Wildlife Enforcement Officer position in NC. They bust more people out of Wildlife BLET from not being able to hack the physical training than from anything else, or so I hear.

Lots of luck to you. Wildlife officers have one of the most dangerous jobs in law enforcement. EVERYBODY they deal with is armed, & the officers are often a long way from backup, & frequently out of radio contact. We work closely with the Wildlife officers in our area, and we frequently back each other up on calls.
I have the utmost respect for those folks.....

The only thing that could hold you back is state or local retirement rules.

Jay

yeah just check out that retirement.. in Ohio Municipal Police are under one system (25 yrs and 48 yrs of age) while the Troopers have their own system and the Township, County and State Guys belong to Pers ( which recently just became 25 and out down from 30 and out). other than that good luck and have fun.

I start the Intensive Basic Academy for CA on July 21st - 20 fun filled weeks.  I'm 33 1/2 and from what I can tell I'm probably the oldest of the non-affiliated folks.  I got laid off out of Telecom - Agilent Tech - in March (I'm a Mechanical Engineer by degree) and the state/Feds are paying for the academy as worker re-training:)

Brian

FWIW, out of all the new hires at my department, I would estimate that near 50% of them are retired Marines.

Don't sweat the age. As long at you can pass the physical test you are good to go. that is why they call is the minimum acceptable standard.

If you are not sure and hesitant about taking the plunge into LE look for a Reserve program in your area (beware, some are better than others).  

I'm in IT and not sure how long I'll continue.  There were 2 other guys in my reserve class who are older and established in other careers thinking about LE full time.  It is a great way to find out if you really want to do it w/ out ditching your current job.