NYPD would hire older recruits under bill proposed by New York City Council

The new maximum age for applicants seeking to become NYPD cops would be 42 years old, under legislation being considered by the New York City Council to raise the age from the current maximum of 34.

On Wednesday, two key officials — NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Council Speaker Julie Menin — voiced support for the legislation, Introduction 913 of 2026. The bill, if it becomes law, would help offset attrition, which Menin said is roughly 8.25% and 10% annually, so the NYPD can maintain its authorized headcount of 36,000 cops.

Menin, whose support as the speaker almost certainly assures its passage, said Tisch called her about the need for the change.

Under the legislation, a person could be 42 when applying to take the civil service test; thus a successful applicant could be even older when appointed to the job. The legislation would also let applicants who have been on military duty to be even older than 42 — by up to six years — for someone who has passed a 43rd birthday.

Bill sponsor Amanda Farías said the legislation, which was drafted after conversations with Tisch's office, labor unions and police precincts in her district, "allows the city to tap into a broader pool of mature, experienced candidates."

"The NYPD is facing ongoing recruitment and retention challenges that are putting strain on officers and impacting public safety," she told Newsday. 

"At the same time, there are qualified New Yorkers, including veterans, former law enforcement personnel, security professionals, and individuals with other valuable work experience, who are currently excluded from even taking the exam solely because of age."

Sam Raskin, a spokesman for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Tisch’s boss, says the administration backs the proposal, is reviewing the bill’s language and would work with the NYPD and council to implement it.

At an unrelated event in the Bronx to announce a bureaucratic change to how the borough is policed, Tisch thanked Farías for backing the bill.

The current law sets a mandatory retirement age of 62 for NYPD cops. A person who is hired when older than 42 would be not able to work for the department for the full 20 years after which a cop qualifies for a full pension. 

Roughly one third of NYPD cops live on Long Island. 

Different departments set various limits for the maximum age at which a person can work for a police force, but most American departments place the age in the 30s or 40s.

Suffolk’s maximum age is 42 on the date of the written exam; Nassau’s is 34 on exam day, although both counties have similar allowances for older applicants who have been in the military. The city and Nassau allow 17 year olds to take the exam; Suffolk requires a test-taker to be 19. 

New York City's maximum age had been 29 until the early 1990s, when it went up to 34. Older applicants had sued, unsuccessfully, to raise the age, alleging illegal discrimination, but a judge rejected the claim, citing the right of governments to enforce minimum standards for the job.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.