Ohio Trying To Speed Up Police Training, Recruit Retirees

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio officials are trying to rapidly bolster the ranks of law enforcement statewide amid the new coronavirus crisis. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has asked training academies to expedite final examinations for 300 officers and is working to bring back recently retired law enforcement officers.

“We have to do everything legally, and safely, within our power to get officers and deputies on the streets of our state,” Yost said. “Our brave men and women in uniform will be exposed to the coronavirus, and we need to make sure there are reinforcements should a worst-case scenario materialize.”

Yost's team is working on a plan to safely test police cadets who have finished their required training but not taken their final exam. Preliminary plans say the test will be offered on different days, allowing fewer people to be in the same room during the examination. This plan could safely put 300 law enforcement officers into action, Yost's team said.

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Yost is also working with local police departments and law enforcement agencies to create a pathway for recently retired officers, in good standing, to return to patrolling the streets. This pathway could include allowing returning officers up to one year to complete their required training. More than 1,000 police officers retire annually in Ohio.

The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) is working with local agencies to determine which training retired officers will need to complete for certification. Those training sessions will be moved online and will be available through an online training portal.

With the continued spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, in Ohio, Yost warned that local police departments could find their ranks depleted if officers become infected. To support ailing departments, Ohio wants to develop a reserve corp of police officers.

“This pandemic is stretching the thin blue line even thinner,” Yost said. “Now more than ever, we need all hands on deck.”