General Questions
How did the training mandate in human trafficking occur?
On June 27, 2012, Governor Kasich signed into law House Bill (HB) 262 also known as the Safe Harbor Law. HB 262 requires the Attorney General to provide training for peace officers investigating and handling violations of section 2905.32 of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC). The provisions of the bill will be incorporated in section 109.745 of the ORC.
Who needs to complete human trafficking training?
All peace officers are required to complete human trafficking training.
All open enrollment students who completed peace officer basic training in an Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) approved school which began prior to July 1, 2012, are required to complete human trafficking training upon appointment to a peace officer position. The training must be completed before a peace officer basic training certificate will be issued. Ohio Administrative Code (OAC) 109:2-1-07(B)
All individuals enrolled in an approved OPOTC peace officer basic training school which began on or after July 1, 2012.
Any previously appointed peace officer who incurs a break in service greater than one year, but less than four years. OAC 109:2-1-12(D)
Who does not have to complete human trafficking training?
Non-peace officers are not required to complete human trafficking training.
When is the training due?
There is no specific date of completion for currently appointed officers. The OPOTC will assign training completion dates to those officers who are re-appointed and incur a break in service and to open enrollment students who are eligible for certification.
Topic and hour requirements
What are the topic requirements for human trafficking training?
There are no specific topic requirements. However, HB 262 established that the training shall enhance an officer’s ability to identify, investigate, and handle violations of trafficking in persons. Increasing effective collaboration among agencies, while protecting the rights of victims and promoting their safety.
How many hours are required?
The legislature did not set a required number of hours for human trafficking training.
The OPOTC lesson plan for Topic 3-6 Missing Children Investigations was amended, adding the human trafficking training as an addendum. The mandatory hours for this topic remain at six.
A minimum of 2 hours is recommended to cover the human trafficking portion of training for agencies that chose to use the OPOTC Topic 3-6 lesson plan with the human trafficking addendum as part of in-service training.
A minimum of 2 hours is recommended to cover the human trafficking portion of training for peace officer basic training schools that began prior to July 1, 2012, who have already taught Topic 3-6, but would like to provide this training as part of the basic training program.
A minimum of 2 hours is recommended to cover the human trafficking portion of training for peace officer basic training schools that wish to offer the training in a stand-alone update school.
An individual who chooses to attend a currently approved peace officer basic training school when Topic 3-6 is regularly scheduled, a plug-in student, must complete the entire six hours of training.
Training Location and Availability
Where can I obtain human trafficking training?
There are several ways for an officer or agency to obtain the training.
Currently the OPOTC offers free on-line training via the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG) on eOPOTA. There are two human trafficking courses at this time: “Awareness of Human Trafficking” and “Responding to Human Trafficking.” Completion of both courses is required. The training is located in the Criminal Investigations folder or the Peace Officer Basic Training Updates for Breaks in Service folder. Please note: A third eOPOTA training course is under development to include the provisions of Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 2905.32. Once the course is in place, completion of all three courses will be required.
The training is also available on the Attorney General’s web site athttp://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/HumanTrafficking.aspx/ On the right hand side of the home page under Outside Resources; you will find the two courses, “Awareness of Human Trafficking Training” and Responding to Human Trafficking Training.”
The OPOTC periodically offers free regional training. You can view any such courses currently scheduled at our on-line catalog at http://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/OPOTACourses Click on Human Relations Courses or type human trafficking in the search box. If none of these free regional training courses appear, check back later for updated schedules.
The OPOTC posted an addendum to the lesson plan for Topic 3-6 Missing Children Investigations on OHLEG. Agencies may download and present the training to officers as part of in-service training. A minimum of two hours is recommended to cover the human trafficking training material.
Training offered by other law enforcement agencies, accredited organizations and institutions specifically in human trafficking or that contain a clearly defined component of human trafficking is acceptable. Examples include, but are not limited to, training offered by the office of the Ohio Attorney General, Ohio Department of Public Safety, Polaris Project, Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition, just to name a few.
How do I get access to OHLEG for eOPOTA training?
If you are a currently appointed peace officer, your agency can request access to OHLEG and may limit that access to eOPOTA only. A request for OHLEG Access must be completed and returned to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI & I). For answers to any questions about OHLEG, contact the OHLEG Help Center at 1-866-406-4534.
If you are not a currently appointed peace officer and you have a break in service greater than one year, but less than 4 years, you may petition the OPOTC Executive Director for access to eOPOTA only.
If you are an open enrollment student who is eligible for certification and your agency is unable to provide you OHLEG access, you may petition the OPOTC Executive Director for access to eOPOTA only.
Do I have to wait for the training to be updated on eOPOTA?
No. You may take the course now and you will receive credit for the training. The OPOTC recommends you complete that portion of the training once the course is developed and posted.
I took the training prior to the passage of HB 262. Will that training count?
Yes. Human trafficking training was developed and has been offered by the Attorney General and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission since 2009. The OPOTC recommends if you took the training prior to the passage of HB 262, you review the provisions of section 2905.32 of the ORC.
Instruction
Who can be a human trafficking instructor?
For OPOTC approved peace officer basic training schools, currently approved instructors in Topic 3-6 may continue to teach the topic with the human trafficking addendum. Instructors must teach the topic in accordance with all OPOTC rules and regulations as with any other topic they instruct in peace officer basic training.
For agency in-service training, there are no instructor requirements. Any person the agency CEO deems appropriate may present the human trafficking addendum to the lesson plan for Topic 3-6 posted on the web.
Does my agency need pre-approval for human trafficking in-service training or proof of OPOTA approval if the training is taken through another source?
No. Pre-approval of human trafficking training is not required and will not be provided. The OPOTC recommends the training follow the guidelines set forth in HB 262.
Funding and Reimbursement
Is the training funded or will my agency be reimbursed for training?
No. However, free on-line training is available via OHLEG on eOPOTA and the OPOTC has and will continue to offer free regional training.
Reporting and Documenting Training
How does my agency submit the information that the training was completed?
Each fall the OPOTC sends your agency a roster report. On the 2012 roster report, the agency will have an opportunity to mark Yes or No that the training was completed. Each officer’s training records will be updated from the agency roster report.
When do agency reports have to be returned to OPOTC?
Rosters reports are due by January 31st of the following year.
What happens if my agency doesn’t submit the report before the due date?
The OPOTC will attempt to contact the agency and request the report be completed and returned. If the agency does not return the report, the OPOTC may not have a record of your completion of human trafficking training.
What if an officer’s name is missing from our report?
Contact our office. We’ll check our records and will assist you in correcting the report. If necessary, we will send you a corrected report. Please do not make corrections on the report.
What if I am appointed at more than one agency?
Your name will appear on each agency roster report that our records reflect you are appointed to on the date the report is created. Once an agency has reported that you completed the training your training record will be updated accordingly.
What if I took the training in an OPOTC approved basic training update school or as a plug-in student?
The school commander will forward the information to the OPOTC and your training record will be updated.
What if I took the training on eOPOTA?
eOPOTA is administered through the OHLEG web portal. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing who completes eOPOTA training. If you are assigned the training and required to report completion of training to the OPOTC, you must print out the certificates and forward them to the OPOTC. Once we receive your certificates, your training record will be updated.
What if I took the training on the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking web site?
If you are assigned the training and required to report completion of training to the OPOTC, your agency CEO or designee (commanding officer, training officer, etc.) must sign a letter attesting that you completed the training in this manner. The letter must be on agency stationary and include the officer’s full name, date of birth, the date and time the courses were completed. The letter must be signed by the agency CEO or designee and their name and title must be clearly printed on the letter. Once we receive the documentation, your training record will be updated.
What if I don’t take the human trafficking training?
HB 262 was effective immediately upon being signed by the Governor on June 27, 2012.
If you incur a break in service and the OPOTC assigns the training, you will have one year from date of re-appointment to complete the training.
Open enrollment students must complete the training upon appointment to a peace officer position before a basic training certificate can be issued and before they may function as a peace officer or carry a weapon. The training must be completed within one year from date of appointment. If the training is not completed within one year of the appointment date and more than two years from date of completion of the basic training occurs, they shall repeat basic training.
Recordkeeping
What type of records should the agency keep?
The agency should keep records sufficient to show compliance with the human trafficking mandate.
How long should my agency keep training records?
Agencies are encouraged to consult legal counsel regarding their responsibility to maintain an officer’s training record.
Please direct comments and questions to:
Jill Gregory, Certification Officer, Professional Standards, Southwest / Southeast / Central Ohiobrenda.gregory@ohioattorneygeneral.gov 740-845-2693
Arienne Fauber, Certification Officer, Professional Standards, Northwest / Northeast / North Central Ohio arienne.fauber@ohioattorneygeneral.gov 740-845-2692