The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy will offer law enforcement a new course — The Heroin Epidemic: Recognition and Investigation — in February and March.
Available around the state at no cost to local agencies, the course will cover the extent of the heroin problem, trends in abuse and trafficking, user demographics, use and trafficking in high schools, investigative strategies, legal issues, and prevention programs. It will be offered Feb. 26 at OPOTA London, March 14 at OPOTA Richfield, March 19 at the Cincinnati Police Department, and March 28 at Owens Community College in Walbridge.
The featured instructor is Sgt. Chris Conners of the Cincinnati Police Department, a 28-year law enforcement veteran whose assignments have focused on street-level drug dealers and international trafficking organizations alike.
These courses also focus on drug issues:
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Basic Narcotics: An Investigative Overview: This covers identification and investigative techniques, including field interviews, working with special units, trafficking indicators, search techniques, informants, and prosecutions. It is May 20, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., at Owens Community College, Walbridge. There is no charge.
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Patrol Drug Operations: This two-day course for patrol officers covers informants, high-risk zones, search methods and warrants, probable cause, surveillance, and directed patrol strategies. It is May 6–7 and Sept. 2 –3 at OPOTA Richfield ($100) and May 7–8 and Oct. 8–9 at OPOTA London ($130 fee includes meals).
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Drug Identification and Field Testing: This eight-hour course focuses on identification and field testing, controlled substances, manufacturing and packaging, and test kit use. It April 3 and Oct. 2 at OPOTA Richfield and May 27 and Nov. 13 at OPOTA London. The cost is $140.
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Basic Drug Investigation: This 40-hour course is for drug investigation officers. It covers recognition, state and federal laws, case initiation, informants, controlled purchases, surveillance, search warrants, evidence processing, and case presentation. It is March 24–28 at OPOTA London. The $325 fee includes meals.
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Advanced Drug Investigation: This 24-hour course covers conspiracy cases, criminal activity patterns, Internet database research, working with other agencies, hidden compartments, reverse operations, surveillance, court orders, search warrants, link analysis using GPS and ping data, documentation, and presentation to a prosecutor. It is Sept. 29–Oct. 1 at OPOTA London, and the $195 fee includes meals.
To register: Visit
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/OPOTA.