What's happening
This bill allows volunteer firefighter service, up to six years, to be subtracted from the maximum age requirement for police officer appointments or promotions.
Why it matters
Expands access to police careers for experienced volunteers. By allowing up to six years of volunteer firefighter service to reduce the maximum age limit, the bill recognizes the value and relevant experience of volunteer firefighters, potentially making police careers more accessible to older, qualified candidates.
Addresses recruiting and retention issues. Many police departments face challenges filling open positions. This change could broaden the pool of applicants, especially in areas where volunteer firefighting is common and public safety agencies compete for recruits.
Values cross-disciplinary public safety experience. The bill encourages individuals with first responder backgrounds to transition into law enforcement, promoting a workforce with diverse emergency response skills and community service experience.
Sets a clear cap to ensure fairness. The six-year maximum deduction prevents indefinite age extensions, balancing the desire to honor volunteer service with the need to maintain reasonable age standards for physically demanding police work.
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Who cares
Volunteer firefighters seeking police jobs
The bill would let candidates deduct qualifying firefighting service from their age, up to six years, for police examination, appointment or promotion age limits.
Unpaid specialized-team firefighters
Qualifying service performing specified firefighting duties on specialized teams would also count toward the age deduction.
Police departments and civil service administrators
They would need to account for qualifying firefighting service when determining age eligibility for covered provisional or permanent police appointments and promotions.
Headline styles
Lower Police Age for Firefighters
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Held for consideration in governmental employees
- Referred to governmental employees
- Referred to governmental employees
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1870
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 13, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. CROUCH, FINCH, GIGLIO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees
AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to age eligibility of candidates for promotion to provisional or permanent appointments as police officers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 58 of the civil service law is amended by adding a new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
7. The maximum age requirement established in subdivision one of this section, for examination or for appointment or promotion to, such provisional or permanent appointment of certain police officers, the period of service as a volunteer firefighter as such is defined by the duties and activities described in subdivision one of section five of the volunteer firefighters' benefit law and the same such duties and activities performed for a specialized team established pursuant to the provisions of section two hundred nine-bb of the general municipal law for which the volunteer firefighter does not receive any remuneration or a gratuity, if such service otherwise falls within the definition of service as a firefighter, of a candidate or eligible shall not be included in computing the age of such candidate or eligible for the purposes of such examination or appointment or promotion; provided, however, that neither shall the total time deducted hereunder in computing the age of a candidate or eligible exceed six years.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04527-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.