Section 14-109. Qualifications of members of force; publishing names and residence of applicants and appointees; probation

a. Only persons shall  be appointed or  reappointed  to  membership  in  the  police  force  or
  continue  to  hold  membership  therein,  who are citizens of the United
  States and who have never been convicted of a felony, and who  can  read
  and  write  understandably  the  English  language.  Skilled officers of
  experience may be appointed for temporary detective  duty  who  are  not
  residents  of  the city. Only persons shall be appointed police officers
  who shall be at the date of filing of an application for  civil  service
  examination  less  than  thirty-five  years  of  age, except, that every
  person who, as of the fifteenth day of April 1997, satisfied  all  other
  requirements  for  admission  to  the  New  York  city police department
  academy shall be admitted to such academy  and  shall  be  eligible  for
  appointment  as a police officer, subject to the provisions of the civil
  service  law   and   any   applicable   provisions   of   the   charter,
  notwithstanding  that  such person was thirty-five years of age or older
  on the fifteenth day of April 1997. Persons who shall have been  members
  of  the  force,  and  shall  have been dismissed therefrom, shall not be
  reappointed.  Persons  who  are  appointed  as  police  trainees,  after
  examination  in  accordance  with the civil service law and the rules of
  the commissioner  of  citywide  administrative  services  and  who  have
  satisfactorily  completed  service  as  such  trainees,  may likewise be
  appointed  as  police  officers  without  further  written  examination,
  provided that they shall have passed a medical examination at the end of
  their  required  trainee  period.  Persons  appointed as police trainees
  shall  not  be  considered  members  of  the  uniformed  force  of   the
  department.
    b.  Preliminary  to  a  permanent  appointment as police officer there
  shall be a period of probation for such time as is fixed  by  the  civil
  service  rules,  and permanent appointments shall only be made after the
  required probationary period has been served,  but  the  service  during
  probation  shall  be  deemed  to  be  service in the uniformed force, if
  succeeded by a permanent appointment, and as such shall be included  and
  counted   in   determining   eligibility   for  advancement,  promotion,
  retirement and pension.