On Oct. 2, the Office of Criminal Justice Services announced the certification of one Ohio law enforcement agency for state standards established by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board. Five additional agencies achieved their recertification.

Agencies completing the certification process have adopted and implemented the initial two standards regarding the use of force and hiring and recruitment while the recertification process takes place on a revolving, three to four-year cycle.

Please see the list below of recently certified agencies:

• Timberlake Police Department (Lake County)

Please see the list below of recently recertified agencies:

• Crestline Police Department (Crawford County)

• Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office

• Madeira Police Department (Hamilton County)

Parma Police Department (Cuyahoga County)

• Tallmadge Police Department (Summit County)

Overall, there are 618 certified agencies throughout Ohio that have met the initial standards. Additionally, 29,362 officers (representing 87.50% of all law enforcement officers in Ohio, including most of Ohio’s metropolitan areas) are employed by an agency that is involved in some form of the certification process.

The collaborative was formed in 2015 to create uniform minimum standards for Ohio’s law enforcement agencies. The first two standards were developed by the collaborative in 2015 to improve the trust between citizens and law enforcement officers.

Additional standards established by the collaborative address community engagement, bias-free policing, body-worn cameras, vehicular pursuits, telecommunicator training, employee misconduct, mass protests, agency wellness, interaction with minors, interaction with people in crisis, and property room management and evidence control. The standards are the first of their kind in Ohio and were developed and established by the collaborative as part of the state’s efforts to strengthen community and police relations.

The state has partnered with the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police to help certify Ohio’s 900-plus law enforcement agencies on a process to ensure they are in compliance with Ohio’s standards. The complete list of agencies who have and have not been certified can be found by accessing the collaborative website.

Submitted by the Ohio Department of Public Safety.