Hempstead Village revises minimum education requirement for police officers

The Hempstead Village board of trustees has voted unanimously to amend the village police department’s minimum education requirement for police officers.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, the village board voted 5-0 to approve a resolution that changed the minimum education requirement for the position of police officer to a sole requirement of 32 college credits.

About three years ago, the village board and police department had increased the educational requirements from a high school diploma to 32 college credits or a minimum of one year military service. But the Nassau County Civil Service Commission has determined that it cannot determine the relationship between military service and the college education requirement. In response, the commission requested that the village amend the requirement to delete the military service alternative.

“We thought that having military service was a good thing, but they couldn’t equate that with education,” Mayor Wayne J. Hall Sr. said. “We had to take that out because nobody really serves just one year in the military unless they get kicked out.”

The Hempstead Police Department has 121 police officers who patrol the village of about 54,000 residents, which has one of the highest crime rates on Long Island, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.