{"id":193774,"date":"2025-06-11T20:52:58","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T01:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/?p=193774"},"modified":"2025-06-11T20:54:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T01:54:21","slug":"ohio-police-training-getting-an-overhaul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/2025\/06\/11\/ohio-police-training-getting-an-overhaul\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio police training getting an overhaul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

VW independent staff\/submitted information<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

COLUMBUS — Ohio will usher in the most comprehensive overhaul of law enforcement training in decades when training academies next month begin teaching an updated curriculum that prioritizes modern-day policing issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re giving Ohio\u2019s peace officers what they need to do their job \u2013 real-world tools and the training to handle the toughest calls,\u201d said Attorney General Dave Yost, whose office encompasses the standards-setting Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC). \u201cThis isn\u2019t just reform \u2014 it\u2019s a significant investment in the future of policing in Ohio.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Dave Yost<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The changes reflect the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future of Police Training, which Yost commissioned in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Effective July 1, academies will introduce the updated curriculum that is mandatory by January 1, 2026. The changes reflect the task force\u2019s vision for a modernized, skills-based officer training program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the current OPOTC curriculum, a cadet must take a minimum of 740 hours of training to obtain certification. Within that curriculum, however, the task force found that some courses being taught did not add sufficient value to a new officer\u2019s basic education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Incoming cadets to any Peace Officer Basic Training (POBT) academy will now see 72 hours of outdated curriculum replaced with practical, high-stakes training tailored to today\u2019s law enforcement environment, including new courses on active shooters and threat response, critical decision-making, crisis mitigation and de-escalation, communications and mediation, and incident debriefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courses removed or reclassified (72 hours total)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Blue Courage (16 hours): Post-graduation offering<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • First Aid, CPR, AED (8 hours): Online prerequisite<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • ICS\/NIMS (8 hours): Online prerequisite<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • NHTSA Speed Measuring Device (40 hours): Post-graduation elective<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

    New training topics (72 hours total)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Basic & Interpersonal Communications & Mediation: 44 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Incident Debrief Training: 4 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Active Shooter\/Threat Response + Duty to Render Aid: 8 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • ICAT (Critical Decision-Making, Tactical Breathing, Crisis Mitigation, De-escalation): 16 hours<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      On a related matter, the task force \u2013 recognizing the urgent need to support law enforcement recruitment \u2013 introduced a modified graduation fitness standard that was implemented after OPOTC approved it in May of 2024. Although entry-level standards remain unchanged, cadets are eligible to graduate if they pass two of the three fitness test components (sit-ups, push-ups, 1.5-mile run), as long as they meet at least 75 percent of expected progress in the third component.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In the year since this change, 91 additional cadets have graduated, officers who would have been disqualified under the previous standard, strengthening Ohio\u2019s law enforcement presence at a critical time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u201cUpdating Ohio\u2019s standards ensures we align with today\u2019s job demands, allowing us to strengthen the force, better reflect our communities, and increase the number of qualified officers on the streets without compromising integrity or readiness,\u201d Yost said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      VW independent staff\/submitted information COLUMBUS — Ohio will usher in the most comprehensive overhaul of law enforcement training in decades when training academies next month begin teaching an updated curriculum that prioritizes modern-day policing issues. \u201cWe\u2019re giving Ohio\u2019s peace officers what they need to do their job \u2013 real-world tools and the training to handle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-193774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-04 10:23:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193774"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":193805,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193774\/revisions\/193805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}