On the Job 

Officers staying in the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) dorms in London should rest more comfortably now that two new air handlers have been installed and changes have been made to the ventilation system.

To regulate the temperature and circulate air throughout the building, the air handler on the second floor was replaced and another was added in a former linen room on the first floor.

Kem Dicken, building services manager at OPOTA, said high humidity of the past caused the carpet to buckle, so it was removed and replaced in the rooms and common areas. Some of the ceilings have also been repainted.

The old exhaust fans in the dorm bathrooms didn’t vent to the outside, so humidity would build up in the 44 rooms. Today, new fans, which were recently installed in each of the bathrooms, not only vent to the outside but also automatically run when the bathroom lights turn on and for 10 minutes once an hour to promote air circulation.

Rooms are $15 a night, double occupancy, and can be booked during OPOTA course registration. The staff makes an effort to put officers from the same department in a room together. Some rooms have three beds. The dorm can accommodate up to 89 people.

Fresh bed linens, towels, a bath mat, and soap are provided. Each room has complimentary Wi-Fi, cable TV, a telephone, computer ports, and a firearms locker for each officer.  The OPOTA cafeteria is open for breakfast and lunch. A boxed meal ordered at lunch can be stored in the refrigerator until dinner.

Rooms are available from 4 p.m. Sundays to 5 p.m. Fridays.

“The dorm rooms are impressively clean,” Dicken said. “And with the new HVAC system, exhaust fans, and carpet, they should be more comfortable.

“The housekeeping and maintenance staff take great pride in providing immaculate and functional dorm rooms for the law enforcement officers who stay overnight.”

The last major renovation of the dorms was finished in 2006.