NYPD Police Officer requirements: what the notice actually asks

By the date of appointment you need a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, and then one of two things: 24 college semester credits at an accredited college or university with at least a 2.0 cumulative index, or two years of honorable full-time United States military service.

Twenty-four credits is roughly one academic year. It is a substantial reduction from the sixty credits earlier notices required, and it is the single change that most widens the pool of people who can apply. Education obtained outside the United States must be evaluated for equivalence, and the notice says the Police Department issues instructions on approved evaluation services during pre-employment screening — so it is handled after the test, not before you file.

You must be at least 17 by the date you take the multiple-choice test. You must have attained 20 years and 6 months to be appointed. And you must not have reached your 35th birthday by the first date of the application period for the examination.

That last one is the limit candidates trip over, because it is measured from the opening of the filing period rather than from the test or the appointment. Time spent on military duty as defined in section 243 of the New York Military Law can be deducted from your actual age, up to a maximum of seven years.

There is a further consequence in the notice worth reading twice: if you are too young for appointment on the date the eligible list is terminated, you have no further opportunity for appointment from that list.

Proof of good character and satisfactory background is an absolute prerequisite. The notice names the factors that would ordinarily disqualify: an arrest or conviction record indicating a lack of good moral character or a disposition toward violence or disorder, repeated arrests or convictions indicating disrespect for the law, discharge from employment indicating poor behaviour or an inability to adjust to discipline, a dishonorable discharge from the Armed Forces, and conviction of petit larceny.

Separately and more firmly: persons convicted of a felony or a domestic violence misdemeanor are not eligible for appointment as a Police Officer. This is where the notice differs sharply from the School Safety Agent notice, which sets out certificate-of-relief routes through a conviction. There is no equivalent route here.

A valid, unrestricted New York State motor vehicle driver license is required on the date of appointment and must be maintained for the duration of employment. Unlike Traffic Enforcement Agent, where the licence requirement arrives at fifteen months in the position, this one bites at appointment.

Residency is governed by the New York State Public Officers Law: an NYPD police officer must live in New York City or in Nassau, Westchester, Suffolk, Orange, Rockland or Putnam county. Living in the five boroughs matters separately, because it is what qualifies you for the ten-point residency credit.

Screening covers a character and background investigation with a $75 fingerprint-screening fee, medical and psychological assessment, a qualifying physical test, and a drug screening before appointment. The probationary period is 24 months.