My job as Ohio’s Attorney General is to support and assist local law enforcement professionals in their efforts to protect Ohio’s families. An important part of meeting that responsibility is making sure peace officers around the state are well-trained for the work we ask them to do.
I said at my swearing-in ceremony that the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) would be a premier teaching institution for Ohio law enforcement personnel. I have every intention of following through on that pledge, and I need your feedback and suggestions to make it happen.
I’m proud of the dedicated, experienced staff and adjunct instructors at OPOTA. They are working hard to expand and improve advanced law enforcement training opportunities — both in terms of content and delivery.
Courses focus on topics and techniques peace officers need to be proficient in today, such as prescription drug abuse, intelligence-led policing, computer forensics, and a multitude of other subjects.
We have made these courses available not only at OPOTA’s London and Richfield campuses, but at venues across the state and online. Regional and eOPOTA trainings have become increasingly popular as law enforcement throughout Ohio continue to face tight budgets and personnel shortages, and we will continue to focus on these offerings.
I’m also grateful to Bob Fiatal and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) for taking on the task of comprehensively reviewing and revising the state’s basic peace officer training curriculum for the first time since the mid-1960s.
The environment in which peace officers perform their duties today is substantially different than it was in 1966 when Ohio first implemented a standard training approach for law enforcement. We’re working to ensure that the substance of the training parallels the progress in law enforcement practices because it directly affects the safety of our families and the lives of our officers.
The way we are working to revise the peace officer basic training curriculum is significant. We surveyed several thousand law enforcement leaders, officers, and basic training graduates regarding what skills and practices should be included in the instruction. We are listening to the people we serve, and the final product will reflect much of their input.
I invite your continued feedback on the offerings and work of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. Please let us know how we can serve you better — whether it be through the types of courses we offer and where we offer them or through our other work on curricula, certification, or other issues.
To share your input, contact Bob Fiatal at Robert.Fiatal@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or 740-845-2757.
Very respectfully yours,
Mike DeWine
Ohio Attorney General