To Counteract Shortages, Ohio May Allow 18-Year-Olds to Join the Police Force

A bill that passed in May in the Ohio senate seeks to lower the age of police officers from 21 years old to 18 years old. 

 

Kristina Roegner (R-District 27), one of the senators who sponsored the bill, said that the primary benefit of the bill would be helping the staffing issue many departments are facing. Cleveland police department lost 115 officers between Jan. 1st and Sept. 1st this year, according to News 5 Cleveland. 56% of those officers resigned. 

According to the Police Executive Research Forum, the number of officer resignations increased by 47% in 2022, compared to 2019. This could be attributed to the pandemic’s effect on policing, as well as the changing public perception of police officers in the U.S. More than half of all Americans believe that major change is needed in policing according to the Council on Criminal Justice. 

 

“This bill (SB53) will help ease our current officer shortage and allow Ohioans who want to enter law enforcement to start their careers sooner,” Roegner said in a statement regarding the bill. Currently, in Ohio, 18-year-olds can join law enforcement through a cadet program, and graduate within 4 months to a year, but cannot become officers until they are 21. 

 

“We lose a lot of talent this way,” Roegner said. “People can’t wait around for 3 years without getting another job.”

 

Mike Weinman, Director of Governmental Affairs for the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, said the solutions to the staffing problem are better pay, benefits, and view of law enforcement, rather than allowing 18-year-olds onto the police force. 

 

“It’s a noble career, a calling, that not everyone is made for,”  Weinman said. 

 

“Police officers deal with traumatic situations that require decision-making skills that an 18-year-old might not be ready to handle,” Weinman said. 

 

PTSD is a concern for Weinman. According to the US Department of Justice, it is estimated that 15% of officers suffer from PTSD symptoms, but the true number is unknown. Young adults whose brains have not fully developed are more susceptible to PTSD than adults according to the research done by the Paradigm Treatment Center, a residential treatment center in California and Texas. 

 

Emily Cole, Political Director of Ohio Families Unite Against Police Brutality, agreed that PTSD is a major concern regarding the bill. 

 

“There’s increased potential for PTSD for younger folks who are put in these situations,” Cole said. “Medical research is clear that adults don’t have fully formed frontal lobes until 25 or 26.” 

 

Some supporters of the bill argue that 18-year-olds are allowed to join the military, but Weinman disagrees that the two fields are equal regarding responsibility. 

 

“I was in the Air Force, and in the military you are under constant supervision. It is not like the police force,” Weinman said. “Not everyone in the military is given a firearm.”

 

Depending on the department, officers often go out alone or in pairs, unlike the military where it is largely team-focused work. This individual decision-making calls on life experiences that teenagers just do not have yet according to Weinman. 

 

Senator Roegner is the mother of an 18-year-old daughter who is going into a military academy after graduation. 

 

“As a mother, I know the risks she is taking,” Roegner said. “Risking PTSD and her life for her country, but that is the choice you make when you choose to serve.”

 

“Should we raise the age of the military too?” Roegner said. 

 

Despite these concerns, small towns may benefit from the decrease in policing age, according to Beach City Township’s mayor, John Hartman. 

 

“If an 18-year-old can go into the military and defend our rights, they are mature enough for a small town.” Hartman said. “We mostly deal with domestic issues, we haven’t had a murder here or anything like that for as long as I can remember.” 

 

“It all depends on the person and their ability,” Hartman said. 

 

“The added 3 years would be a big help,” Hartman said. 

 

Individual municipalities can go through administrative processes to hire younger officers, and Pataskala, Ohio did just that a few years ago, according to Sen. Roegner, and had major success. 

 

The bill is currently in the House and has yet to be voted on. It passed 25 to 8 in the Ohio Senate.