Frequently Asked Questions: For Officers
Who needs to complete continuing professional training? (OAC 109:2-18-02)
All peace officers and troopers who hold an appointment in 2023, except for those who successfully completed their basic training or highway patrol cadet training program and exam in 2023, are required to complete the mandated continuing professional training.
What are the CPT requirements for 2023?
For calendar year 2023, peace officers and troopers must receive a total of 24 hours of CPT.
Eight of the twenty-four hours must be completed on the three topics mandated by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC). The topics, and minimum hour requirement for each topic, are as follows:
- School Threat and Safety Training (3 hours)
- Legal Updates (3 hours)
- Arrest, Search, and Seizure (2 hours)
The remaining 16 hours of CPT are also mandatory. However, these 16 hours can be on any topic that meets the requirements of OAC 109:2-18-03, is approved by your agency administrator, and pre-approved by OPOTC.
If I complete more than the minimum number of hours in a CPT topic required by OPOTC, can the excess hours from one category count toward hours required in a different CPT topic required by OPOTC?
Every peace officer and trooper must complete the required minimum hours in all three categories. However, any excess hours completed on the three CPT topics required by OPOTC can count towards the 24 total hours required for 2023. The excess hours would count toward the 16 hours that can be on any topic approved by your agency administrator.
Who can be an instructor for continuing professional training? (OAC 109:2-18-03) CPT can be conducted only by an instructor who meets at least one of following criteria:
- Has five years’ full-time law enforcement experience and meets at least one of the following:
- Is a current OPOTC-certified peace officer basic training instructor: or
- Holds a four-year college degree: or
- Has completed an instructional skills course approved by OPOTA’s executive director.
- Is a licensed or certified professional and is providing instruction in a subject area directly related to the field for which they are certified or licensed.
In all cases, the individual and the training program that the individual is conducting must have been pre-approved by OPOTC’s executive director.
Please note that individuals who were OPOTC-certified instructors but have had such certification revoked or suspended cannot teach CPT.
If an officer is instructing a CPT class, does the officer/instructor get credit for the CPT that the officer/instructor is teaching?
Yes, an instructor can get CPT credit for the course the instructor is teaching. The instructor would receive the same number of CPT hours as the students receive. However, if an instructor teaches the same course more than once, the instructor would only get to count it for CPT the first time taught.
Does training on topics required by the legislature count as CPT? (OAC 109:2-18-02)
Provided that the mandated training is taught by a qualifying instructor, and otherwise meets the requirements for 2023 CPT, the completion of statutorily mandated training can be used to satisfy CPT requirements for calendar year 2023.
Can annual in-service firearms requalification count as CPT? (OAC 109:2-18-02)
No. The time spent completing the firearms re-qualification program is an evaluation of proficiency, not training; it cannot be counted as CPT hours.
Can an officer take some or all of the 24 required hours online? (OAC 109:2-18-03)
Yes. While in-person training is often the best, it is not always a viable option. Courses taken through OPOTA Online will provide credit toward the 24 required hours. The courses listed on OPOTA Online will indicate how many hours of CPT credit can be obtained by completing the course and what category (or categories) of CPT the course can satisfy.
The three OPOTC mandatory courses can be found on OPOTA Online under the Catalog “2023 Continuing Professional Training.” Once in the catalog, all topics in any section can be used for 2023 CPT. You must enroll into the course for it to display on your OPOTA Online dashboard.
Do courses taken in previous years on 2023 CPT topics provide the needed credit?
No. Courses that cover the 2023 CPT topics taken in previous years do not count towards 2023 CPT credit. A course must be taken in 2023 to count as 2023 CPT.
I completed “Training X” for CPT credit in 2022 (or a prior year). If I complete that exact same training again in 2023, can it count for CPT credit in 2023?
CPT training requirements differ from year to year. However, assuming the training in question meets the current CPT requirements of 2023, completing the training again this calendar year could count for CPT credit for 2023.
Frequently check the 2023 CPT web site for any updates on courses that are approved for this year.
Does CPT training have to be taken in two or three-hour blocks? (109:2-18-03(A)(3))
No, but with the exception of online trainings (either pre-approved by OPOTA’s executive director or taken through OPOTA Online) CPT training must occur in blocks of time of one hour or greater. To constitute an “hour” of training, the hour must contain at least fifty minutes of actual instruction or approved training activity.
What happens if an officer does not complete CPT? (OAC 109:2-18-06)
A peace officer or trooper who, in any calendar year, fails to comply with the CPT requirements by yearend must immediately cease carrying a firearm and shall cease performing the functions of a peace officer or trooper until such time as evidence of compliance is filed with OPOTA’s executive director. This rule does not apply to peace officers or troopers for whom an extension of time has been granted by the executive director.
What are the possible sanctions if an officer works while in “cease function” status?
Acting as a peace officer while in cease function status could subject an officer to civil or criminal liability depending upon what peace officer function was performed.
What happens if the officer misses the 12/31 deadline to complete CPT, but completes it on 1/1 or shortly thereafter? Can the officer go right back to work and function as a peace officer? (OAC 109:2-18-06)
No, the Ohio Administrative Code requires that once someone goes into cease function status (which would happen as a matter of law on 1/1/24) OPOTC must receive documentation of compliance, review it and verify that the officer can be taken out of cease function status. It could take several days to review the documentation and verify that the officer has met the CPT requirements.
Can the deadline for completing CPT be extended? (OAC 109:2-18-02 (I) and (J))
Yes, but only under very specific emergency circumstances may the OPOTC executive director extend the time for an officer to complete CPT requirements. The appointing authority must make written request to the executive director by Dec. 15, 2023. The request must explain the emergency that created the need for the extension. It shall include the name of the peace officer or trooper that the request involves, the emergency circumstances (including documentation) leading to the request, and the date the request was submitted to OPOTC.
The executive director will grant or deny the extension request within 30 days of receiving it. In making this decision, the executive director will consider factors such as a serious illness of an officer or an officer’s immediate family member, prolonged military service, or an unexpected shortage of manpower within the appointing agency. If an extension is granted, it will be for 90 days, unless the executive director finds that special circumstances exist for a longer extension. The executive director shall send written notice of the decision to the appointing authority.
Does it matter that I have an appointment from multiple agencies? (OAC 109:2-18- 02(K))
Yes. Your primary agency has the obligation of maintaining your records relating to your completion of CPT. Additionally, your primary agency will have the responsibility of certifying to OPOTC that you have completed your CPT requirements.
- If you have a full-time appointment with an agency, the full-time agency will be your primary agency and be responsible for maintaining and certifying your CPT records
- If you have no full-time appointment, but have a part-time appointment to an agency (or a part time appointment and additional reserve or auxiliary appointments) your part-time agency will be your primary agency and responsible for maintaining and certifying your CPT records.
- If you have a current appointment, but no full-time or part-time appointment, your primary agency will be the agency you work for that first appointed you.
- If you have appointments of equal priority, the agency that first appointed you will be your primary agency.
Who do I contact if I have other questions?
Send an email to CPTquestions@OhioAGO.gov. Additionally, check back here often. If OPOTC staff finds similar questions are being asked repeatedly, this FAQ section will be updated with those answers.
Frequently Asked Questions: For Agencies
Does my agency need to return unspent CPT funds from the 2022 Pilot Program?
No. In addition to providing funding for CPT for 2023, HB45 modified the parameters of the 2022 Pilot Program. Agencies are no longer required to return unspent CPT funds. Agencies may retain leftover funds to pay for the cost of continuing professional training programs.
Which agencies are eligible to receive CPT funding for 2023?
All public appointing authorities are eligible to receive CPT funding this year. A public appointing authority is any agency that appoints a peace officer as defined in divisions (A)(1), (A)(3) to (A)(8), (A)(10), (A)(12), (A)(13), (A)(15) to (A)(18), and (A)(19) of section 109.71 of the Revised Code and the Ohio state highway patrol.
How much money will my agency receive for 2023?
Agencies can receive up to 100% of the base hourly rate of pay for the time their officers are completing the 24 hours of CPT. If, for example, Officer Jones makes $20 per hour and completes 24 hours of CPT in 2023, the agency who employs Officer Jones could receive up to $480 of funding to help offset the costs of training.
However, the legislature has not yet appropriated the full amount of funds required to fund CPT for 2023. The remainder of CPT funds are expected to be included in the budget. If the funds are not included and there are insufficient funds to cover the funding requests, reimbursement requests will be proportionately reduced to ensure all agencies get treated equally.
Do agencies conducting their own CPT have to utilize the pre-approved OPOTA curricula for three topics by OPOTC? (OAC 109:2-18-03)
No. The curricula developed and provided by OPOTC in these categories are provided for convenience. Not all agencies have the staff and resources necessary to develop their own training materials. Agencies with a robust training department are welcomed to develop their own training materials and submit them to the OPOTC for review as provided by the Ohio Administrative Code.
Additionally, OPOTA offers a large variety of in-person and online courses that can also satisfy the 2023 CPT requirements.
Does my agency need pre-approval from OPOTA for a training to receive CPT credit?
Preapproval is not required for the following types of trainings
- In-person trainings taken at OPOTA, or scheduled through OPOTA and taken at one of our regional training providers
- Online trainings completed through OPOTA online
- A training conducted by a qualified instructor utilizing the pre-approved lesson plans pertaining to the three OPOTC-mandated topics for 2023.
Preapproval is required for all other types of trainings.
When will my agency receive our CPT funds for 2023?
Reimbursement for CPT completed in 2023 will occur after the training occurs. The process for requesting reimbursement is under development and should be available for general use during the second quarter of 2023.
Once completed, appointing authorities, and their designees, will be able to record completed CPT hours in the OPOTA Portal. Reimbursement will be calculated based upon the number of CPT hours completed and base hourly rate entered into the OPOTA Portal. Reimbursement payments will be distributed quarterly to the address OPOTA has on file for your agency.
If OPOTA will be calculating reimbursement based upon the hourly rate of my officers, what hourly rate will be used?
Agencies must use the base hourly rate of compensation for peace officers and troopers when requesting reimbursement. “Base hourly rate” means the hourly rate at which a peace officer or trooper is compensated excluding overtime, shift-differential, and other similar enhancements to the hourly rate of pay.
The base hourly rate will be provided to OPOTC after the peace officer or trooper completes and reports CPT hours. If bargaining unit agreements result in an increased rate of pay throughout the year, agencies can submit reimbursement requests at the higher rate of pay for training completed after the effective date of the increase.
For peace officers or troopers who receive an annual salary, base hourly rate is the base annual salary divided by 2080 hours for fulltime appointments or the base annual salary divided by the anticipated annual hours for less than fulltime appointments.
When the electronic CPT reporting and reimbursement system goes live in a few months, agency administrators will be able to directly enter and update salary and training information as needed throughout the year. If the hourly rate of a peace officer or trooper changes during the year, the reimbursement for subsequent requests will occur at the updated hourly rate.
Who can request reimbursement for CPT for an officer who works for more than one agency? (OAC 109:2-18-02(K))
If a peace officer or trooper is appointed by more than one agency, the officer or trooper’s “primary agency” will be the only agency that can receive funding. An officer or trooper’s “primary agency” is determined as follows:
1. Full time
2. Part time
3. Other
If a peace officer or trooper holds appointments of equal priority, the agency where the peace officer or trooper was first appointed will be responsible for documenting the training and will be eligible to apply for CPT funding, provided the requirements for funding are met.
If an officer or trooper leaves my agency during the calendar year, who is responsible for maintaining and certifying the CPT records for that officer or trooper?
Updated administrative code provisions providing additional guidance for this issue have been drafted and are pending JCARR review and approval. However, they are not yet in effect.
Once approved, an officer or trooper’s “primary agency” as described in OAC 109:2-18-02 will be responsible for reporting any CPT completed up until the date of separation. Any training completed after the officer or trooper’s date of separation would be reported by the peace officer or trooper’s new “primary agency.” Agencies will remain responsible for maintaining training records for any CPT training completed.
The change is intended to ensure that primary agencies are only certifying CPT that was completed during the time the time a peace officer or trooper was at the primary agency.
What type of records must the agency keep? (OAC 109:2-18-05)
The agency must maintain records sufficient to show compliance with CPT requirements set forth in the administrative code.
Who do I contact if I have other questions?
Send an email to CPTquestions@OhioAGO.gov. Additionally, check back here often. If OPOTC staff finds similar questions are being asked repeatedly, the FAQ section will be updated with those answers.