Kansas committee hears bill to let 20‑year‑olds apply for police certification

House Bill 21‑64, which would allow people age 20 and older to apply for certification as a police or law enforcement officer under the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Act, drew testimony at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on March 7.

The bill brief presented to the committee says the measure would amend KSA 74 56 0 5, the statute that sets applicant qualifications, to permit a person to apply at 20 but require that they be 21 before serving as a full‑ or part‑time officer. Proponents and neutral witnesses agreed the bill would not let persons under 21 patrol solo; candidates must complete required training before regular duty.

Chief Chris Vallejo of the Topeka Police Department testified the change is intended to address recruitment and retention challenges. Vallejo said Topeka has faced staffing shortfalls “as high as 15%” and was “hovering about 11%” at the time of testimony, adding that lowering the application age would expand the recruitment window and reduce the loss of applicants to other states. Vallejo also said recruits in Topeka complete a 23‑week local academy program compared with a 14‑week statutory minimum, and that recruits remain on a supervised probationary period (about 18 months in Topeka) after training.

Amanda Stanley, city attorney for Topeka, described a proposed amendment in the city’s written testimony intended to avoid unintentionally granting arrest authority to 20‑year‑old trainees. Stanley said the city discussed defining “police officer” so that the powers associated with that title vest only once a recruit reaches 21, and noted the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLTC) would need time to adopt rules and a training license to cover the interim.

Doug Schroeder, executive director of the Kansas Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, testified neutrally that the bill as drafted could be “potentially flawed” because a provisional license (issued at hire) currently confers the same authority as an active credential and statute requires a provisional license holder be 21. Schroeder told the committee the commission needs more time with stakeholders — including KLTC, the Kansas Chiefs and Sheriffs associations and other associations — to vet how the change would affect other statutes and regulations.

Committee members asked about the fiscal note and expected additional certification workload, current local recruiting data, and research on brain development and judgment thresholds. Vallejo and Stanley said some data are anecdotal and that jurisdictions like Topeka rely on multi‑step hiring processes (psychological evaluations, background checks, civil service review) that would still vet readiness before hire or street duty.

The committee received written proponent testimony from the League of Kansas Municipalities and chiefs from other cities. The hearing was closed with no committee action recorded on the measure during the session.