Many Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy courses allow law enforcement officers to meet their continuing professional training requirement for 2014. Of the four CPT hours required of Ohio peace officers and troopers this year, three can focus on general law enforcement topics and one must be related to crimes against families. Here is a look at some CPT training options available through OPOTA. For details, visit
OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/OPOTA.
Portable training facilities provide for realistic scenarios
A daylong exercise employing one of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy’s new portable training facilities proved so beneficial the Lancaster Police Department is creating its own makeshift version in a local pole barn. Lancaster officers and Fairfield County sheriff’s deputies recently participated in a training using one of OPOTA’s three portable facilities, which departments across Ohio can now schedule by emailing
AskOPOTA@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
“The portable units and training were top-notch,” said Officer Matt Ream of the Lancaster PD. “It allows you to prepare for situations you hope you never have to face.”
Made of aluminum framework and plastic walls, each portable facility can be configured as a 24-square-foot unit or in other shapes with hallways, rooms, and intersections. For large-scale exercises, two or more units can be combined. And unlike abandoned buildings sometimes used for such trainings, the portable facilities provide a safe, controlled environment.
Ream said half a dozen members of his department took part in the training, using nonlethal training ammunition to practice active shooter response, weapons handling, target acquisition, and room clearing.
OPOTA instructors can take the classes directly to departments or host them at the Richfield or London campuses. Officers are encouraged to train with their department-issued M4, which OPOTA can outfit with a bolt for simulation purposes.
Upgraded labs at London, Richfield host computer forensics classes
OPOTA computer forensics classes include four levels of data recovery courses that address retrieving deleted or hidden evidence and encrypted files. Students who complete all levels qualify for evidence recovery specialist certification. Tuition for these courses, already much less than private-sector trainings, has been drastically reduced for 2014, and OPOTA intentionally keeps its student-to-faculty ratio low.
“These classes keep law enforcement abreast of the constantly evolving technology. Five years ago, we wouldn’t have had to consider tablets, for instance,” said Jessica Didion, OPOTA’s assistant executive director of advanced training. “First responders are getting into this more and more; it’s not just departments’ computer crimes units.”
Other technology courses include Internet Investigations, pertinent for any type of investigation that involves identifying criminals and who they’re communicating with; Computer Crime First Responder; Undercover Online Investigations; Peer to Peer Internet Investigations; and Cell Phone Forensics.
The courses are offered in recently upgraded computer labs at OPOTA’s Richfield and London campuses, which feature new computers and hard drives, dual screens, and a new server to support class materials.
Federal grant covers cost of accident investigation courses
Departments looking to improve officers’ ability to investigate traffic accidents or recognize drug-impaired drivers have several options, all offered at no charge to local agencies under a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grant.
“The accident reconstruction courses are very popular,” said Lou Agosta, OPOTA’s deputy director of advanced training, noting that the four training levels provide most prerequisites for the national test for accident reconstruction certification. “We have officers coming from Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia to take these courses and paying full tuition. Only Ohio officers can attend free under the grant.”
Also available through the grant is ARIDE (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement), which is suitable for law enforcement and prosecutors. Those interested should first take an alcohol detection and prosecution/standardized field sobriety testing class.
Courses meet requirement for family-focused training
The following courses fulfill Ohio law enforcement officers’ requirement to complete at least one CPT hour focusing on crimes against families. The other three CPT hours required in 2014 can be on general law enforcement topics. All OPOTA courses are listed at
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/OPOTA.
Classroom courses
Computer Crime First Responder: April 15, Buckeye Hills Career Center, Rio Grande; May 29 and Oct. 20 at OPOTA Richfield; Sept. 3 and Oct. 6 at OPOTA London. Cost: $75
Internet Investigations I: Feb. 3–6, Aug. 4–7, and Oct. 7–10 at OPOTA London; March 24–27 and Oct. 21 –24 at OPOTA Richfield. Cost: $280
Undercover Online Investigations: April 28–30 at OPOTA Richfield; Sept. 8–10 at OPOTA London. Cost: Free
Peer to Peer Internet Investigations: May 19–23 at OPOTA Richfield; Sept. 22–26 at OPOTA London. Cost: Free
Interacting with the Muslim and Middle Eastern Populations: March 19 at Richfield OPOTA; April 9 at Columbus Police Academy. Cost: Free
Crime Victims’ Rights and Responsibilities: June 19 at OPOTA London. Cost: Free
Dealing with the Suicidal: April 3 and Nov. 13 at OPOTA London. Cost: $65
Human Trafficking Basic Overview: March 13 and Aug. 21 at OPOTA London. Cost: Free
Interacting with and De-escalating the Special Needs Population: Feb. 20 and Aug. 14 at OPOTA London; March 20 at OPOTA Richfield. Cost: Free
Sexual Assault Investigation: July 14–16 at OPOTA Richfield. Cost: $150; July 29–31 at OPOTA London. Cost: $195 (includes lodging and meals)
eOPOTA Courses
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De-escalating Mental Health Crises
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Response to People with Autism
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Financial Exploitation of Seniors
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Fraud Against Seniors
Coming soon
OPOTA is developing an eOPOTA Crimes Against Children course as well as a lesson plan that agencies can use for in-service training to meet the CPT requirement.