Springfield, OH, city commissioners took action Tuesday night to eliminate one of the barriers to the recruitment of new police officers: the maximum age restriction for new officers.
Under state of Ohio statute, the maximum age for becoming a certified police officer is 35 years of age. Cities are allowed to modify that, and with commission approval, Springfield eliminated the restriction, the Springfield News Sun reports.
City Manager Bryan Heck told commissioners the city currently has open positions and Springfield, along with other communities across the country, struggles to fill them.
“We feel like we are missing out on a lot of opportunities,” Heck said. “To receive full retirement benefits from the military now you have to stay active for 20 years. Let’s say someone enlisted at 18. At full retirement, they would be 38 years old. According to the state max, you would not be eligible to become a police officer for the first time. So this allows additional opportunities for members of our community who want to serve and make a great impact.”
