The disqualifiers for the New York State Police fall into a short list of hard bars and a longer list of judgment calls. A felony conviction, a domestic violence misdemeanor, being under 21 or past your 43rd birthday at appointment, lacking the required education, failing the physical fitness test, failing the medical or psychological screening, current illegal drug use, a serious driving record, prohibited tattoos, and dishonesty during the background investigation will all end your candidacy. Misdemeanors, debt problems, poor employment history, and your social media footprint can also disqualify you depending on what investigators find.
Age, Citizenship, and License
You must be a United States citizen, at least 20 when you apply, and at least 21 but not yet 43 at appointment.1New York State Police. Qualifications2New York State Police. Hiring/Appointment Qualifications The 43-year ceiling comes from Executive Law § 215.3New York State Senate. New York Executive Law 215 Active-duty military service extends that cap by one year per year served, up to seven years, so a veteran with seven qualifying years could apply as late as 49.
You also need to be a New York State resident with a valid New York driver’s license by the time you are appointed.2New York State Police. Hiring/Appointment Qualifications Living out of state or carrying an out-of-state license is fine while you apply, but both have to change before the academy.
Not Enough Education at Appointment
A high school diploma or equivalency gets you to the application stage.1New York State Police. Qualifications Appointment requires more. You need one of three things completed: 30 college credit hours from an accredited institution, military initial entry training with an honorable discharge, or the Basic Course for Police Officers certified by the Municipal Police Training Council.2New York State Police. Hiring/Appointment Qualifications Not having one of these in hand when it’s time to be appointed disqualifies you, regardless of how far you’ve progressed.
Criminal History
A felony conviction is a permanent, automatic disqualification. When it happened, whether you completed your sentence, and what you’ve done since all make no difference. The application itself warns that a felony ends the process immediately.4New York State Police. NYSP Trooper Application, Step 1 of 5 – Qualification
Misdemeanors do not trigger an automatic bar. Investigators weigh the nature, severity, and recency of the offense, and whether there’s a pattern. A single minor incident from years ago reads differently than repeated arrests, especially for anything involving dishonesty, violence, or theft.
Domestic Violence Misdemeanors
A misdemeanor crime of domestic violence is its own hard bar, and it comes from federal law. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9), anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence is permanently prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 18 Section 922 Troopers carry service weapons, so this conviction makes the job legally impossible. The state police cannot waive it.
Sealed Records Are Not Hidden
Do not assume a sealed record is invisible to the state police. Under Criminal Procedure Law § 160.50, sealed records that are hidden from ordinary employers remain available to any agency hiring a police officer or peace officer.6New York State Senate. New York Criminal Procedure Law 160.50 If investigators pull your sealed record, you must be given a copy and a chance to explain. Failing to disclose something they will find anyway is usually more damaging than the underlying offense.
Driving Record
Troopers spend much of their shift behind the wheel, often at high speed during emergency responses, and the agency reads your motor vehicle record with that in mind. Convictions for driving while intoxicated or driving while ability impaired are among the most serious red flags and frequently end an application. Beyond DWI, investigators look at the overall pattern: multiple speeding tickets, suspensions, and revocations all point to risk-taking that is incompatible with the job. If your license is suspended or revoked when you would otherwise be appointed, you’re out.2New York State Police. Hiring/Appointment Qualifications
Current Drug Use (and Lying About Past Use)
Drug testing is part of the screening process. Current illegal drug use ends your candidacy, and recent or habitual use will come out during the background investigation when investigators compare what you say against what your references report.
Marijuana adds a wrinkle. Recreational use is legal for adults under New York law, but the state police maintains internal policies restricting use for prospective troopers. Expect to show a meaningful period of abstinence before applying. Troopers also enforce federal drug laws, and marijuana remains a controlled substance federally.
Lying about past drug use is often treated more harshly than the use itself. Investigators expect candor about experimentation or past use. What they will not tolerate is deception, because a trooper who lies in hiring is a trooper who might lie on the witness stand.
Failing the Physical Fitness Test
The physical ability test has three components: sit-ups in one minute, push-ups, and a 1.5-mile run. You have to meet the minimum on each one; miss any single subtest and you fail the test. Entry into the academy requires the 50th percentile for your age and sex. For candidates aged 20 to 29, that means 40 sit-ups, 33 push-ups, and a 1.5-mile run in 11:58 for men, and 35 sit-ups, 18 push-ups, and a run in 14:07 for women.7New York State Police. Fitness Requirements Standards shift for older brackets but not by much. Failing the test at any stage removes you from the process.
Medical, Vision, and Hearing Shortfalls
A full medical examination screens for conditions that would prevent safe performance of the job. The vision and hearing benchmarks are set by regulation.
Corrected vision must be 20/30 or better in each eye. If you wear glasses or contacts to reach it, your uncorrected vision cannot be worse than 20/100 in either eye. Color perception is checked with the 24-plate Ishihara Test, and you must read at least 9 of the first 13 plates correctly. A failed initial color test allows a secondary Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue Test at your own expense, but tinted lenses are not allowed to pass.8Cornell Law Institute. New York Compilation of Codes, Rules and Regulations Title 9 Section 6000.7
For hearing, your levels cannot exceed 25 decibels at 500, 1,000, and 2,000 Hz, or 30 decibels at 3,000 Hz, in each ear. Abnormal results at higher frequencies prompt further audiological testing. Hearing aids are permitted.
Tattoos in Prohibited Places or With Prohibited Content
Tattoos are allowed, but not everywhere. The state police prohibits tattoos or body art on the head, face, neck (including the chest area visible in a V-neck shirt), hands, wrists, and fingers.9New York State Police. Tattoo Policy Any tattoo depicting extremist, discriminatory, or offensive imagery is banned anywhere on the body, even under a uniform. The policy is enforced during the background investigation, so if you have prohibited tattoos, address them before you apply rather than after.
Psychological Unsuitability
Every candidate goes through a psychological assessment with standardized testing and a clinical interview. A finding of psychological unsuitability ends your candidacy. The evaluation screens for traits like impulsivity, poor judgment under stress, difficulty with authority, and untreated conditions that would interfere with duty. There is no clear pass/fail threshold to study for. The useful preparation is honesty and consistency between your test responses and your interview answers.
What the Background Investigation Looks For
The background check is the broadest part of the process. Applicants authorize access to educational, financial, employment, and criminal records, and investigators interview family, neighbors, and associates. Derogatory information may result in disqualification.10New York State Police. The Process
Finances
Investigators review your credit history and overall financial picture, looking for patterns suggesting irresponsibility or vulnerability to corruption. Unmanageable debt, accounts in collections, and a history of failing to meet obligations all raise concerns. Bankruptcy alone is not necessarily disqualifying, but the circumstances and your stability since will be examined.
Employment History
Previous employers get contacted. Being fired for misconduct, dishonesty, or failure to perform carries real weight, and employment gaps will be questioned. Investigators also talk to personal references, former teachers, and ex-spouses, building a picture of your character from people who actually know you. Inconsistencies between what you reported and what they say are treated seriously.
Social Media
Your online presence is part of the investigation. Posts showing racial, religious, or gender-based intolerance, language glorifying violence, association with extremist groups, or evidence of professional misconduct can all lead to disqualification. Deleting accounts before applying does not guarantee the content is gone.
Dishonesty
This is where otherwise qualified candidates most often lose their chances. False statements, omissions, or misrepresentations during the application or investigation are a standalone disqualifier. It does not matter whether the underlying fact would have been disqualifying on its own; the dishonesty itself is enough. Investigators cross-reference everything and are experienced at spotting inconsistencies. If something in your past concerns you, disclose it and explain it.
If You Are Disqualified
Civil Service Law authorizes examining agencies to disqualify candidates who lack required qualifications, have been convicted of a crime, were dismissed from public service for misconduct, or made false statements on their application.11New York State Senate. New York Civil Service Law 58 – Requirements for Appointment of Certain Police Officers A disqualified candidate should receive written notice explaining the basis for the decision.
The appeal path depends on the ground. For psychological disqualifications, candidates are typically allowed to obtain an independent evaluation from a licensed psychologist at their own expense and submit that second opinion to challenge the finding. For other grounds, the available review varies. Read the notice carefully. It should set out your appeal rights and the deadline for using them, and missing the deadline can forfeit your right to challenge the decision.