Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Just joined the other day .
41 years old , and applying for LEO.
No age requirements , but do you think i'm too old?
Thanks
Also have a lot of other questions !

Welcome to the site.

Search is your friend as a lot of people in your shoes have asked the questions you are considering. Are you too old ? No. You will actually have an advantage in some ways with your maturity and exposure to life. Something that the average 25 yr old can't quite claim. You will however have to be in SHAPE and you will understand that working the street will be a lot BETTER if you remain in shape.

GO and apply , you have nothing to lose.

Thank you for the reply .

I have been searching the site trying to find answers to all my questions.
Some answers are from older post and was just trying to get up to date answers.
I feel I'm in pretty good shape , been running around working for the phone company
for almost 15 years . Have to be in ok shape for that , climbing poles ,attics,up and down ladders and
under houses .
Instead of running all over town installing and fixing phones , I would love to run all over town on
patrol.
I have never met an LEO that didn't like his or her job. Thats what I want and feel patrol would give
me . A love for my job .
I was just thinking some LE agencies might not want to waste time on an older recruit .
Thanks again for the reply .
Also I have tested and passed the written test . Im going for the BI interview next week.


I

First off, Welcome to RP from the Florida Panhandle!

Secondly, I don't think you're too old at all. I came into LE at 39 after 21 years in the Marine Corps. Granted I went to a local junior college police force as my first agency, but then at 42 I joined my current agency, the local county sheriff's office. As for the being in shape, that's a definite 'cause you never know when something can turn physical. But I also find that I get in a lot less fights because I'm willing to use my people skills to actually talk to the person. I think those skills are what I bring to the road that a lot of younger guys don't quite have yet.

Anyway, good luck to you and keep us posted!

Sounds good to me. However ..." running all over town for the phone company " is not the same as a 1.5 mile run , bench press etc. What is your 1.5 mile time ? How much can you bench press ? How many situps can you do in a minute ?

The actual physical agility test is pass / fail and if you fail any ONE of the tests , you fail. Keep that in mind.

Thank you ,
I feel I have pretty good people skills . Have to deal with all types of customers . Some are pretty
angry when their phone and internet are not working. I know its going to be very different in the LEO
field .
I dont have any military , prior LE , or CJ degree. I think that is why I was turned down before by a
local city dept. Plus I have found this is a very competitive field. So many people go to take the test.
Just would like a chance to go to the academy . I know I would give 110% or more if thats what it
takes.
Thanks again for the reply .

Giving 110% is great , but your body need to be in shape to even try it. You will not meet the 1.5 mile limit by just " giving your all". You need to actually start running and lifting etc. You should find out what the test standards are for your area and practice , practice, practice !!!

Here is the PA statewide physical agility test requirements. This is just to get hired , you need to do better to finish the 5 month academy.

The bench press for you means 76% of your body weight. http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/personnel/assets/po_recruitment/10_MPOETC_30percent_standards_rev04-20-09.pdf

Thank you for responding , any insight will be so helpful.
I have been running 3 miles at about 29 to 32 minutes . The first mile
is about 9 minutes and the next to 2 are a bit slower. Sit ups and push ups
are about 30 to forty a minute . I didn't know there was a bench press minimum .
I'm not a big weight lifter , just work out the 45 lb. bar with 35 on each side .
I think and hope I can pass the PAT.
Thank you again.

It shouldn't be a matter of hope, If you want the job you will PREPARE so you KNOW that you can pass the required tests. It would be a shame if you did well in all other categories and then failed the physical agility because you " hoped " you would do well.

( 9 min 1st mile , say 10 min 2nd mile = 9 + 5= 14 mins , your age group needs at least a 14:33 to pass.) But dont forget that you also have to take into account the situps , bench press and the 300 M run. You will expend energy performing those tests which might make you a little tired to run or vice-versa.

If you are SERIOUS about this , go do all the tests with maybe 5 minutes between each one and see how well you do. Your hopes, dreams and desires depend on it.

found this at General Questions - Commission on POST (http://post.ca.gov/general-questions.aspx)



How should I prepare myself for the academy physical conditioning program?

Students who are engaged in a vigorous lifetime fitness program generally do not have any problems with the POST-required academy physical conditioning program and Work Sample Test Battery Test. It is almost impossible, though, for sedentary individuals to complete the program without problems. For best results, your exercise program should already match the descriptions below.

Aerobic conditioning, 3-5 days per week, 20-60 minutes each day, continuous jogging on most days each week
Muscular strength/endurance, 2-3 days per week, one set of 8-10 exercises including upper body, core, and legs, 8-20 repetitions per set
Flexibility, static stretching, at least 2-3 days per week, preferably 5-7 days, 8-12 stretches each day, hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds and repeat each 2-4 times
Continuous participation at the above-described levels for the last six months without injury

If your exercise program does not meet these specifications, then you should consider taking a body conditioning, weight training, or jogging class as needed.

Just wanted to say thank you to all that have replied with great info .
Im going to step up my training ,just in case what Im doing is not enough .
I had not taken in consideration the other things that expend energy performing .
Again thank you all !
If others have any comments I would love to hear them .