Prospective Cops Under Age 25 Want An Exemption To Department's New Age Limit

By Anna Deem in News on Oct 30, 2010 5:45PM

It was announced yesterday that the Chicago Police Department is raising the minimum age to apply to the force to 25. Although it may seem like a good idea to some to have a more mature police force, many younger twenty-something's aren't happy about this new decision.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Jason Quaglia, 23, a graduate of Western Illinois University, graduated from college with a plan to join the Chicago Police Department. The new age limit decision will prevent him from taking the December 11 entrance exam. Upon hearing about the age limit, Quaglia created a Facbook page called "The Chicago Police Minimum Testing Age Will Destroy My Career." "I have all sorts of friends my age waiting in line to take the test," Quaglia said to the Sun-Times. "This doesn't make any sense."

In addition to Quaglia, the 29 men and women that are under 25 in the police department's cadet program are also frustrated. Paloma Sandoval, 24, told the Sun-Times that she hopes she can persuade the department to exempt cadets from the age requirement. "I don't understand how they can mentor and train us, and then tell us we can't become officers because we're not 25," she said.

While department officials met with cadets on Friday to hear their concerns, a top source within the department told the Sun-Times that it's unlikely they will change their minds. The source also stated that many officers in Chicago began their careers in suburban police departments.