The only exception is if the applicant is under 45 and has five years as a peace officer or in the military. The theory is that if someone is 40 years old, his five to 10 to 15 years of law enforcement experience compensates for his diminishing physical abilities, according to a lawyer for the city. It was all very frustrating for Provenzano as she sat in her spacious northwest Houston home over a cup of coffee. While she earns some money as a substitute school teacher, there's a job opening she's heard about that she'd like to pursue at the federal probation office. It's not fair, she said.
Older people are physically fit, too.