Sometimes things bite you in the butt and it is usually brought on by a couple of unreasonable folks who don’t mind you doing one thing but act as if it is coming from their pockets if you want to do something else. These issues have come up in several federal agencies on a recurring basis. Just like the issue comes up in private industry for working folks overtime and not paying them. No different.

Interestingly, in the case of the law enforcement agency I work for, we do not have a maximum age; you must show you can meet the physical, mental, and psychological requirements of the position. Nevertheless, like the FBI and other agencies, Peace Officer Standards and Training Regulations “could” require it in my state. They currently do not.

This is not the only form of lawful discrimination allowed in law enforcement. For example, you must also be a US Citizen. Not a permanent resident or otherwise authorized to work in the US, but an actual US Citizen. This is also generally viewed as unlawful discrimination on the basis of citizenship, an act most employers are prohibited by Federal law from committing.

Another example is you cannot have a record of any felony conviction. Even if it is expunged. Again, there are laws in many states, including mine, that would normally prohibit discriminition based on the mere existence of any felony alone, especially in cases where that conviction was expunged.

Age, citizenship, conviction discriminination is unlawful…but not so with law enforcement. You may not like it, but there are some jobs or career fields in the country that form lawful exceptions to what we normally are trained to think of as unlawful discrimination.