National attention has been focused on law enforcement following high-profile events in Ohio and other parts of the country. In the wake of these incidents, task forces and advisory groups have been convened to look into areas like use-of-force and community-police relations. In Ohio, Attorney General Mike DeWine formed a law enforcement training advisory group that issued a report in April.
The report included a recommendation to increase training hours. The Ohio General Assembly then passed a new law that will require 11 hours of training for all officers. The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) is pleased to announce a new course that can fulfill eight of the 11 hours of required training and cover three of the four critical subjects for 2016 continuing professional training.
Policing in the 21st Century is a new, live, web-cast, eight-hour course that will be taught in London, Richfield, and at select regional locations, and will cover the following topics:
-
Community-Police Relations, (focusing on Implicit Bias, Procedural Justice, and Blue Courage) – (4 hours)
-
Crisis De-escalation with Focus on Mental Illness – (2 hours)
-
Constitutional Use of Force – (2 hours)
For the first time, beginning in 2016, we will also be live-streaming
Policing in the 21st Century online. This will allow officers to receive live training without having to travel to a classroom, but will allow them to interact virtually, with an instructor during the course. The ability to ask and answer questions that are presented to the live audience, downloadable PowerPoints and course information, and streaming video scenarios are all part of the experience. This course will give officers valuable information that will assist them in their duties of policing in the 21
st century in a convenient, user- and budget-friendly format.
In addition to the new offerings above, OPOTA has many free and reduced cost courses available which may be used to fulfill CPT requirements. The 2016 course catalog is available for viewing on OHLEG and on the Attorney General’s website.