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The Chicago Police Department says it has rai sed the minimum age to become an officer to attract more mature candidates and also is offering a new hiring preference for military veterans, police officials said Thursday.

Police Supt. Jody Weis announced the department will administer a written entrance exam Dec. 11 - the first test in four years. The department will accept applications online through Nov. 26 at chicagopolice.org. The maximum age is 40 at the time of hire.

In addition to raising the minimum age, the department is creating a preference for military veterans. At least 20 percent of applicants picked for each class will be veterans - as long as enough veterans apply, said Weis, who will hold three makeup exams for returning veterans unable to take the regularly scheduled hiring exam.

Members of the armed forces with at least three consecutive years of active duty - or one year of military duty and 30 semester hours of college credit - can apply as young as 21, Weis said. All other applicants must be at least 25 and complete 60 semester hours of college.

Chicago will hire as many as 200 more police officers next year - in addition to a 120-member class that entered the police academy last month - to ease a manpower shortage.

Police officials said older applicants with more life experience could make better decisions on the streets and that military veterans have undergone substantial training.

Not everyone believes raising the application age from 21 to 25 is a good idea. New York and Los Angeles have a minimum hiring age of 21.

"My thought is that you are excluding some very good candidates and possibly forcing them into a different profession," said Brad Woods, who formerly ran the department's personnel division.

One pool of potential recruits is particularly upset at the higher minimum age for applicants. The department's cadet program allows people between 17 and 21 to learn how officers do their jobs. One cadet, who is 23, said he was shocked to see that he must wait another two years before he is eligible to apply.

"I get paid $9 an hour," he said. "I put my life on hold. I passed up better-paying jobs. Knowing how to write a report is not really useful in the outside world. I don't think it's fair."