I just wanted to know if it's uncommon for people over the age of 35 to get into Law Enforcement.

Second Question:

Does anybody have personal experience with the LAPD?

It is not uncommon for people over the age of 35 to start a law enforcement career. This happens quite often nowadays. All else being equal, some departments would rather hire a 35 year old than a 21 year old.

I don't have much first hand knowledge about the LAPD, but they always seem to be hiring.

Thanks Sarge,

I appreciate the feedback.

It is not uncommon. Last year, I had a 43 year old in my academy class.

35 should be no problem at all, as long as your healthy. My brother-in-law's grandfather was 35 actually when he started his police career, and turned out to be one of the best in his department(Tampa PD I believe). Anything is possible, just remember, your as young as you feel.

Both the OPD and the SSD told me not to worry about my age at all. I'm 39. The OPD recruiter said that many times a department will hire a person who has had some life experience over somebody that's still pretty young. I'm not worried about it, anymore. I recently went out to a practice session out at the Sheriff's obstacle course, and came away with the third fastest time out of 20 people (ten men, ten women). I know there's more to deal with once one is in the academy, but I'm not that concerned about the physical stuff. until I get into an academy, I'll keep working out with a definite focus on cardio.

I have decided to apply for my local police department immediately after I get my BA degree in Criminology, which makes me around 21 or 22 years old by then. Will my age be detrimental to my application's competitiveness, since some of the replies above say that some police departments prefer older and more mature candidates?

If you are meet the age requirements set by the department, your age will not be a problem. It is true that some hiring authorities sometimes prefer candidates with a bit more "life experience". If you are a good candidate, and you meet the department's age requirements, you should not be concerned.