VWPD earns additional certification

VW independent staff/submitted information

Van Wert Police Chief Doug Weigle has announced the Van Wert Police Department has received its final Ohio Collaborative Law Enforcement Agency Certification (OCLEAC) certifications in Group 3 and Group 5.

Group 3 deals with bias free policing and investigation of employee misconduct and Group 5 deals with law enforcement response to mass protests/demonstrations and agency wellness.

“As I have said before, this program leads to unified policing across the State of Ohio,” Weigle said. “I would like to thank all of the employees of the Van Wert Police Department for getting on board with this program and making it successful to date.”

Weigle also noted certifications have already been received for Groups 1,2 and 4.

These are some of the advantages of the Van Wert Police Department being certified:

• Ensures sustainable solutions for agencies as they build strong relationships with their communities.
• Builds a foundation of solutions and tools for any agency.
• Provides law enforcement with the resources they need to build and sustain a healthy police culture.
• Provides a basis for an agency to judge its performance and enhance operations.
• Promotes consistency in application of policies which helps to promote public confidence.
• Standards are also effective risk management tools for potentially preventing and reducing loss in professional liability claims.
• Listed as an Ohio certified agency in the annual public report for the Ohio Collaborative.

According to Weigle, OCLEAC recently added two more groups. Group 6 deals with policies on handling youth and crisis intervention, and Group 7 deals with the handling of property and evidence.

“I will be working on meeting those standards,” he said. “I believe we have already met those standards, we just have to get them submitted and accepted.”

More information about the program can be found here.