OPOTA Close to Home is a training partnership between the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy and its six Regional Training Providers. In 2022, Attorney General Yost created the Close to Home program after hearing from many local law enforcement agencies about their challenges in accessing advanced training.
Close to Home provides Ohio’s 33,000 peace officers with convenient access to OPOTA-certified training regionally, making continuing professional training (CPT) – state-mandated annual advanced training – more readily available in-person and reducing agencies’ travel/lodging and overtime staffing costs.
By using OPOTA-approved lesson plans, the regional partners can provide OPOTA Advanced Training courses to Ohio peace officers using OPOTA-approved instructors. These instructors are either active sworn, retired sworn, or licensed professionals who hold instructor certificates from OPOTA. After successful completion of a course, students receive an OPOTA certificate, and the training is added to their employee profile.
Under OPOTA Close to Home, the academy in London remains the training provider for central Ohio, with the six regional providers strategically located throughout other areas of the state. The regional providers are vocational or community colleges and have a basic police academy attached to them.
For questions regarding the OPOTA Close to Home program, please email
OPOTAClosetoHome@OhioAGO.gov
To view the course catalog or to register for courses, go to the
OPOTA Portal
OPOTA Close to Home Director: 740.845.2713 | Administrative Assistance: 740.845.2480
To learn more about the regional providers, use the interactive map below, which includes a link to the website of each: