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Continuing Professional Training FAQs
Continuing Professional Training FAQs
General Questions
Who needs to complete Continuing Professional Training (CPT)?
Each peace officer or trooper is required to complete up to 24 hours of CPT each year. The actual number of required hours will be determined by the Ohio Peace Officer Commission and will be based upon funding availability.
If a peace officer or trooper has held any appointment prior to July 1, the officer must complete the required number of training hours before Dec. 31 of that year.
Who does not have to complete CPT?
If the only appointment(s) a peace officer/trooper has held during the calendar year began on or after July 1, no CPT is required for that year.
Newly commissioned troopers shall be exempt from these requirements for the calendar year in which they completed the Highway Patrol Cadet Training Program.
Newly certified peace officers shall be exempt from these requirements for the calendar year in which they completed basic training.
The sheriff is exempt from the CPT training hours, as they are required to complete other training annually. They will be marked as an X on their agency CPT report and will not be eligible for reimbursement.
Hour and topic requirements
When will I know how many hours are required for next year?
No later than Oct. 15 of each year, the executive director will notify each law enforcement agency administrator of the required hours and topics for the following calendar year.
Are the topics always mandated?
Not all topics will be mandated. Some years, the only requirement will be for general law enforcement training.
What is general law enforcement training?
The training must serve a recognized law enforcement purpose, which shall improve the officer’s ability to serve as a law enforcement officer. This can be any topic that your agency administrator approves.
Where does the CPT funding come from?
Funding for CPT will come from a variety of sources. As funding sources change, so may the required content of the CPT program.
Can our agency comply with the law but not be eligible for reimbursement?
Yes, it is possible that an agency could comply with the training mandate but not the funding source requirements. For example, OPOTC required eight hours of training in 2007 (five hours in crime victim topics and three hours of general law enforcement). In order to comply with the law, each officer needed to complete eight hours of general law enforcement training. In order to be eligible for full reimbursement, each officer needed to complete five hours in crime victim topics specifically and three hours of general law enforcement training.
What does not qualify as CPT?
Annual in-service firearms re-qualification does not count as CPT.
Training elsewhere mandated for peace officers by the General Assembly or the Attorney General does not count as CPT. Break-in-service updates (Domestic Violence, Missing Children, Crisis Intervention, Child Abuse and Neglect, Missing Persons and the Refresher Course) do not count as CPT.
Can I take the CPT training online?
Yes, the commission will provide training on eOPOTA through the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway (OHLEG). For courses that are one hour long, officers must spend at least 45 minutes online to earn credit for the training taken. For courses that are 1.5 hours long, officers must spend at least 65 minutes online to earn credit. For courses that are 20 minutes long, officers must spend at least 15 minutes online to earn credit for the training taken. Courses located under the Peace Officer Basic Training Folder on eOPOTA can not be used toward CPT training.
How do I get access to OHLEG for eOPOTA training?
View the request for access form.
Does our agency CPT training need to be pre-approved by OPOTC?
Not necessarily. If you are advertising your training as CPT training for officers outside of your agency, it does need to be pre-approved by the OPOTC executive director. Otherwise, the training needs to be approved by your law enforcement agency administrator. The agency administrator will ensure compliance with instructor qualifications, curriculum requirements, training completion and record-keeping requirements.
Reporting
How does our agency submit the information that the training was completed?
Each year in mid-September, OPOTC sends a disk to your law enforcement agency administrator. This disk jas the two reporting documents on it (CPT/Roster report and the Attestation). Fill out these two forms and submit by mail to Sarah Thomas, OPOTA, P.O. Box 309, London, OH 43140.
What if I think an officer is missing from our Excel sheet?
Contact our office. We will check to see if the officer should be listed on your report. If the officer should be listed, we will e-mail you a revised Excel sheet. You cannot make corrections to the Excel document.
When do the reports have to be into OPOTC?
The Excel sheet and the attestation must be postmarked by Jan. 31, 2010.
What happens if I do not submit the report before Jan. 31, 2010?
If we do not receive your documents by the deadline, your agency will be ineligible for reimbursement. All of your officers will be placed in a cease-functioning status until we receive the reporting documents.
If I do not want or am not eligible for reimbursement, do I still need to fill out the forms?
Yes. All agencies must report to us. Not submitting the reporting documents will result in your entire agency being placed in a cease-functioning status.
Extension
Are extensions available?
Yes. Extensions may be granted under emergency circumstances.
How do I request an extension?
The law enforcement agency administrator must send a written request to the OPOTC executive director. This request can be faxed to 740-845-2675, e-mailed to OPOTA@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or sent to P.O. Box 309, London, OH 43140. This extension request must be postmarked by Dec. 15 of the year for which the extension is being requested.
What information needs to be included in the extension request?
Please include the officer’s name, department and the reasons why the training requirements were not completed.
When can I request an extension?
You should request an extension as soon as you realize that your officer is not going to be able to complete the training due to emergency circumstances.
Why are extensions for firearms re-qualification no longer granted?
Per OAC 109:2-13-02, “Compliance with annual firearms re-qualification has no effect on a law enforcement officer’s Ohio peace officer training commission certification.” It will be up to the agency to ensure that each officer has complied with the law.
Primary agency/concurrent appointment
Who reports an officer who works for more than one agency?
The agency responsible for documenting the officer’s training (i.e., record keeping and reporting) and eligible to receive reimbursement for the officer’s training costs is considered the primary agency and shall be determined by order of priority:
- Paid full-time
- Paid part-time
- Unpaid
What if an officer holds an appointment of equal priority with more than one department?
The agency that appointed the officer first is considered the primary agency.
Examples:
- The officer is appointed to a paid position by Agency A and an unpaid position by Agency B. Agency A is the primary agency.
- The officer is appointed to a full-time paid position by Agency A and a part-time paid position by Agency B. Agency A is the primary agency.
- The officer is appointed to a part-time paid position by Agency A and a part-time paid position by Agency B. The agency that first appointed the officer is the primary agency.
- The officer is appointed to a full-time paid position by Agency A, a private agency, and an unpaid position by Agency B. Agency A is the primary agency, however, neither agency will receive reimbursement because private agencies are ineligible for reimbursement.
Reimbursement
Which agencies are eligible for reimbursement?
All public appointing authorities that comply with the requirements are eligible.
What is the reimbursement amount?
Agencies may be eligible for a reimbursement of $20 per hour, per officer, per year.
How does our agency qualify for reimbursement?
- Agency must submit the reporting documents to OPOTA postmarked no later than Jan 31.
- Each officer must comply with the annual CPT requirements (per ORC 109.802 and 803) by Dec. 31 of each year.
Where should this money go when my agency receives it?
The funds shall be kept separate from any other funds of the appointing authority.
What can the money be used for?
The funds should be used only for paying the cost of CPT. You can check with your legal adviser as to what this can encompass.
Instruction
Who can be an instructor for Continuing Professional Training?
The training shall be conducted only by instructors who meet at least one of three criteria:
- The individual has five years’ full-time law enforcement experience and meets at least one of the following criteria:
- The individual is a current OPOTC-certified peace officer basic training instructor
- The individual has a four-year college degree
- The individual has completed an instructional skills course approved by the executive director
- The individual is a licensed or certified trainer
- The individual is a licensed or certified professional and is providing instruction in a subject area directly related to the field for which they are certified or licensed.
- The individual and/or training program is pre-approved by the executive director.
Individuals who have been OPOTC-certified basic training instructors and who have allowed such certification to lapse (and are not otherwise qualified to teach CPT by meeting the criteria above), have had such certification revoked or whose certification is under suspension cannot teach CPT.
Instructors’ lesson plans should:
- Be typewritten
- Include goals and objectives
- Provide a detailed accounting of material to be covered
- Include a bibliography of references
- List teaching aids
Will OPOTC have lesson plans available for use?
The commission will develop lesson plans for CPT and post them online.
Where can training occur?
Training needs to be held in a safe setting. The setting needs to be suited to the topic and conducive to effective learning.
Physical skills training should be conducted in a gymnasium or large indoor area with appropriate safety equipment or in another safe, professional environment.
Firearms training should be conducted only on professional ranges approved by the appointing authority.
Are there any break requirements during our training?
Yes, the training must be conducted in blocks of no less than one hour. Fifty minutes of instruction and a 10-minute break will occur each hour. At least one 30-minute break must occur every four hours.
Records
What type of records should the agency keep?
The agency should maintain records sufficient to show compliance with the CPT requirements. If training is conducted at the agency, lesson plans and sign-in sheets should be kept. If training is conducted by outside individuals, signed and dated certificates should be kept along with sign-in sheets if possible.
How long should our agency keep training records?
All records should be kept on file by the agency in accordance with the agency’s records retention schedule but no less than three years. All records will be made available to the executive director for inspection upon request.
Non-Compliance
What happens if the officer does not complete the CPT training?
The officer will be required to cease carrying a firearm and to cease performing the functions of a peace officer or trooper until evidence of their compliance is filed with the executive director. All enforcement actions of the executive director are subject to the appeals process in ORC 119.
Please direct comments and questions to:
Brittany Thompson
P.O. Box 309
London, OH 43140
Brittany.Thompson@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov
740-845-2754