A California legislator is hoping that his proposed law to raise the minimum age of new police officers could help improve the law enforcement system.
Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, who is the chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, proposed the law on Monday. He told the Sacramento Bee that by raising the minimum age to join the police to 25 or requiring a bachelor’s degree, the state could reduce the number of civilians who are hurt during interactions with law enforcement.
“These jobs are complex, they’re difficult, and we should not just hand them over to people who haven’t fully developed themselves,” said the Los Angeles Democrat.
According to data from the California Department of Justice, law enforcement officers in the Golden State seriously hurt or killed civilians 703 times last year, a number that Jones-Sawyer seeks to reduce in the years ahead. He highlighted research showing that critical parts of the brain that control impulse control are not fully developed until about 25.
“This could be the beginning of changing the entire way that policing is done on the front end,” Jones-Sawyer said. “Then, we can let the bad cops retire on the back end.”
Current law stipulates that people only need to be 18 in order to pursue a career in the field, while California Highway Patrol officers are required to reach the age of 20. Across the country, minimum ages vary from 18 to 21.
