As flashing roadway signs throughout town attest, the Bristol Police Department is looking for new officers. Faced with recruiting challenges over the last several years, the department is turning to a new strategy to hopefully deepen the pool of applicants. They want to be able to hire new officers younger than 21 years old.

At its most recent meeting, the Bristol Town Council approved the first reading of a proposed ordinance to reduce the minimum age of candidates for probationary patrol officers from 21 to 18. The ordinance, if it passes at the council’s next meeting, would allow Police Chief Kevin Lynch and his department to consider applications from a new group — not necessarily high school students, but the graduates of junior and community colleges.

“Someone could be walking away from a community college with an associate’s degree at 19 years old,” Chief Lynch said. “I certainly want an opportunity to recruit them.”

Lynch said they could also look toward people fresh out of military boot camp. He mentioned a study done during the Obama administration that showed that a college-educated law enforcement  division is less likely to corrupt the position. However, students from junior and community colleges often have associate’s degrees in studies that involve policing, such as criminal justice.

Bristol would not be the first municipality to lower the age for new officers to 18. Other towns, as well as the Rhode Island State Police, have already done so.

Challenges with recruiting

Lynch acknowledged that recruiting has been more difficult in recent years, saying, “Law enforcement agencies have been having a more difficult time, whether it be post-George Floyd or post-Covid.” He also said the traditional schedules for police officers — many new officers could spend years working the overnight shift — do not appeal to the younger generation.

Lynch acknowledges that since recruitment is down, the police force has to be more creative when it comes to finding new potential officers. He said they have definitely prioritized diversifying the police force, making sure it is an accurate representation of the current American population, as well as making sure no candidate slips through the cracks. He mentioned that he has emphasized recruiting female officers, saying that a majority of the force’s recent hires have been women. Notably, the town’s proposed ordinance also changes the pronouns used from “he” to “they,” representing the department’s attempts at recruiting women. However, he stressed that the requirements to become a police officer have not changed.

Council will decide

Town Council President Nathan Calouro is supportive of the lower age limit. “I don’t see any problems coming from it, but we are always open to dialogue,” he said.

Calouro hopes the new age range will allow for a larger group of candidates, and he also pointed out that recruitment does not include only those under 21.

“This might include some people ages 30 to 35 who are looking for a career change and might want to go into policing,” Calouro said.

Chief Lynch said that regardless of age, they will always be looking for the best person. “I guess what I’m looking for is someone with the character to make a difference,” the chief said.

At present, the Bristol Police Department has 41 officers, including Lynch. The ordinance will be voted on during the next town council meeting, on Oct. 9, after an open public meeting. If passed, it will go into effect immediately.