Refresher Courses for Returning Officers

In 2025, the Ohio General Assembly updated the training requirements for peace officers wanting to return to active service. Previously sworn Ohio peace officers can take refresher courses based on their time away from the profession. These courses will be offered at the main OPOTA campus and through the Regional Training Providers who are part of OPOTA’s Close to Home program. Both options will be available beginning in the first quarter of 2026.

Here’s what you need to know about the key changes:

• The refresher course under ORC 109.77 is intended for individuals who hold an OPOTC Peace Officer Basic Training certificate and who previously held an Ohio peace officer commission. As such, attendance in a refresher course alone does not make a former trooper eligible for appointment with a local agency. Currently, a former trooper wishing to pursue a local peace officer appointment must complete a Peace Officer Basic Training academy. OPOTC is in the process of changing rules that would allow former troopers to sit for the Ohio Peace Officer State Certification Exam to obtain a prior equivalency certificate.
• Academy attendance for breaks in service is no longer required.  For those previously certified by OPOTC, the new law eliminates the requirement to attend a basic academy due solely to a break in service, regardless of the length of separation. Officers who completed basic training and received certification do not lose their certification unless an official decertification event occurs. The certificate becomes inactive and must be renewed as outlined below before peace officer duties may be performed again.
• Mandatory refresher training is required before returning to duty. Officers who whose break in service spans longer than one year must complete refresher training before resuming any peace officer functions. The previous one-year grace period to complete training after reappointment is effectively repealed. More specifically, here is how the length of an officer’s service break dictates the required refresher training:
   
  • Less than one (1) year: An agency may appoint an officer at its discretion as long as CPT compliance is met.
  • One (1) year to less than four (4) years: Forty (40) hours of refresher training are mandated.
  • Four (4) years or more: Eighty (80) hours of refresher training are mandated.
• Refresher course testing is included in coursework. To get officers back on the street as quickly as possible, they will be assessed on the refresher course material within the course itself. No testing at an independent facility is required.

NOTE: Officers must still meet all statutorily mandated training, any required Continuing Professional Training (CPT), and firearms/Taser qualifications. Agencies remain responsible for ensuring compliance with these requirements, which are separate from the refresher training outlined below.

Details of the new law can be found in paragraph (M) of ORC 109.77 (M)

You can log on to the OPOTA Portal to view the course catalog and conveniently register online. If you do not have a portal account, you can download, complete and submit the registration form and disclosures via email.