Law Enforcement > Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy > Refresher Courses for Returning Officers
Refresher Courses for Returning Officers
In 2025, the Ohio General Assembly updated the training requirements for peace officers wanting to return to active service. Previously sworn Ohio peace officers can take refresher courses based on their time away from the profession. These courses will be offered at the main OPOTA campus and through the Regional Training Providers who are part of OPOTA’s Close to Home program. Both options will be available beginning in the first quarter of 2026.
Here’s what you need to know about the key changes:
- The refresher course under ORC 109.77 is intended for individuals who hold an OPOTC Peace Officer Basic Training certificate and who previously held an Ohio peace officer commission. As such, attendance in a refresher course alone does not make a former trooper eligible for appointment with a local agency. Currently, a former trooper wishing to pursue a local peace officer appointment must complete a Peace Officer Basic Training academy. OPOTC is in the process of changing rules that would allow former troopers to sit for the Ohio Peace Officer State Certification Exam to obtain a prior equivalency certificate.
- Academy attendance for breaks in service is no longer required. For those previously certified by OPOTC, the new law eliminates the requirement to attend a basic academy due solely to a break in service, regardless of the length of separation. Officers who completed basic training and received certification do not lose their certification unless an official decertification event occurs. The certificate becomes inactive and must be renewed as outlined below before peace officer duties may be performed again.
- Mandatory refresher training is required before returning to duty. Officers who whose break in service spans longer than one year must complete refresher training before resuming any peace officer functions. The previous one-year grace period to complete training after reappointment is effectively repealed. More specifically, here is how the length of an officer’s service break dictates the required refresher training:
- Less than one (1) year: An agency may appoint an officer at its discretion as long as CPT compliance is met.
- One (1) year to less than four (4) years: Forty (40) hours of refresher training are mandated.
- Four (4) years or more: Eighty (80) hours of refresher training are mandated.
- Refresher course testing is included in coursework. To get officers back on the street as quickly as possible, they will be assessed on the refresher course material within the course itself. No testing at an independent facility is required.
(For officers whose break in service spans one year to less than four years)
Purpose: Designed to update officers on essential legal, tactical, and interpersonal skills required for a safe and effective return to duty.
Overview: Provides a condensed review of critical peace officer competencies, ensuring compliance with current OPOTA standards. Updated instruction is presented in the areas of legal procedures, defensive tactics, crisis intervention, and communication. Key topics may include:
- Arrest, Search, and Seizure
- Report Writing
- Domestic Violence and Victim Response
- Crisis Intervention and De-escalation
- Interpersonal Communication (ICAT) and Critical Decision Making (SIT-D)
- Defensive Tactics/Subject Control Techniques
- Subject Control and Compliance
Assessment: Participants are evaluated within the course through practical skills assessments and knowledge checks; no external testing is required.
Outcome: Officers who successfully complete the refresher course are eligible to resume full peace-officer duties, pending agency compliance with all other statutory training mandates.
(For officers whose break in service spans four years or more)
Purpose: Serves as an advanced, academy-level retraining program designed to re-establish core law enforcement competencies and integrate updates in law, tactics, and procedural standards.
Overview: Combines classroom instruction and practical exercises across all major areas of peace officer performance. The curriculum reflects current OPOTA standards and incorporates advanced topics to ensure that returning officers are fully prepared to re-enter active service.
Curriculum topics from BAS include:
- Arrest, Search, and Seizure
- Report Writing
- Domestic Violence
- Crisis Intervention, SIT-D (Situational Decision Making), ICAT (Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics)
- Subject Control and Compliance
- Basic Investigations Refresher
- Active Shooter/Threat Response
- Building Searches
- Vehicle Stops, Approaches, and Extraction
- SFST (Review)
Examination: All evaluations are conducted during the course through integrated testing and skill demonstrations; no separate post-course testing is required.
Outcome: Successful course completion restores officer eligibility for active duty. Agencies remain responsible for confirming completion of required firearms requalification and other statutory training obligations.
Before Registering for Refresher Training
Effective immediately, all candidates must complete the requirements below before registering to attend the Refresher Training Program.
(NEW) Medical Clearance Requirement
To promote participant safety, all candidates must submit a completed OPOTA Physician Release Form before participating in the Physical Agility Assessment or enrolling in refresher training.
The form must be completed by a licensed physician (MD/DO), physician assistant (PA), or certified nurse practitioner (CNP) and certify that, based on a medical examination and professional judgment, the candidate is medically capable of safely participating in:
- The Physical Agility Assessment
- Vigorous to high-intensity physical activity
- All required refresher training activities
The medical provider must specifically certify that the candidate can safely perform activities such as:
- Running
- Stair climbing
- Rapid changes in direction
- Lifting and dragging approximately 160 pounds
- Upper-body weight-bearing activities
- Other tasks associated with the Physical Agility Assessment
Physician Release Requirements
The medical clearance must:
- Be completed and signed by a licensed physician, PA, or CNP.
- Be dated no more than 12 months before the scheduled Physical Agility Assessment.
- Include the provider's license number, office address, and contact information.
- State that the candidate is medically cleared to participate in the Physical Agility Assessment and all required course activities.
- Be submitted before any physical testing or training begins.
Candidates who do not provide an acceptable Physician Release Form will not be permitted to participate in the Physical Agility Assessment or enroll in the Refresher Training Program.
Why This Requirement Has Been Added
Completing medical clearance before registering helps:
- Improve participant safety by identifying medical conditions that may increase the risk of injury.
- Ensure candidates meet the minimum physical requirements to safely complete training.
- Allow candidates to determine their readiness before registering and paying tuition.
- Reduce unnecessary tuition and travel expenses for self-paying candidates.
- Establish consistent statewide standards for all Refresher Training Programs.
Candidates with a signed Physician Release Form may register for the Refresher Assessment Course. This four-hour course includes both the Firearms Assessment and Qualification and the Physical Agility Assessment. Candidates seeking either the 40-hour or 80-hour refresher attend this course together, and the four hours are credited toward the refresher training hours required by the Ohio Administrative Code.
Before Arriving for the Firearms Assessment
Candidates must:
Firearms Assessment
The firearms assessment includes:
- Firearms safety briefing
- Range rules and commands
- Accountability procedures
- Review of immediate removal criteria for serious firearms safety violations
- Loading, unloading, and firearm clearing drills
- Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) State Firearms Qualification Course
Candidates must achieve the minimum passing score established by the OPOTC within two qualification attempts. Successful completion of the OPOTC State Firearms Qualification is required before advancing to the Physical Agility Assessment.
Candidates who do not qualify within two attempts will not receive a refund or course credit.
Any candidate who commits a serious firearms safety violation will be immediately removed from the range and may be dismissed in accordance with established range safety policies.
The firearms assessment establishes a consistent statewide standard of firearms proficiency while reinforcing the safe handling, operation, and accountability expected of Ohio peace officers before refresher instruction begins. Requiring successful completion of the OPOTC State Firearms Qualification enhances the safety of officers, instructors, and fellow participants while providing agencies with documented verification that candidates have demonstrated the minimum firearms proficiency required by the OPOTC.
Candidates who successfully complete the firearms qualification will advance to the Physical Agility Assessment.
The Physical Agility Assessment is administered on a pass/fail basis. A passing assessment is valid for six (6) months from the date of completion.
The assessment is monitored by OPOTA Advanced Training staff to ensure standardized administration throughout the state.
Candidates must successfully complete all of the following:
- Sit up and stand from a supine position without assistance.
- Complete a 300-foot slalom run after standing.
- Ascend and descend four flights of stairs 3.5 times.
- Drag a 160-pound rescue dummy 40 feet.
- Complete 15 trigger presses with each hand while maintaining the proper shooting position.
- Complete the entire assessment within the established time standard (<4 minutes, 30 seconds).
- Successfully complete a 30-second dead hang within two minutes of finishing the agility assessment.
Candidates who do not successfully complete the Physical Agility Assessment will not receive a refund or course credit.
Candidates who successfully complete both the Firearms Assessment and the Physical Agility Assessment will receive a Certificate of Completion. The certificate allows them to register for the remaining 36-hour or 76-hour Refresher Training Program. The tuition paid for the assessment course will be applied as a credit toward the applicable 40-hour or 80-hour refresher course tuition.
The Physician Release Form and the results of the Physical Agility Assessment will be maintained as part of the candidate's official training record.
Registration Process
Before registering for a Refresher Training Program course, candidates must:
- Obtain an OPOTA Physician Release Form and have it completed by their physician.
- Ensure the National WebCheck® is submitted to OPOTA.
- Successfully pass the OPOTC State Firearms Qualification within two attempts.
- Successfully complete the Physical Agility Assessment.
- Print the Certificate of Completion and register for the appropriate Refresher Training Program.
- Candidates may log into the OPOTA Portal to register online.
- Complete and submit the required disclosures form linked below and submit to OPOTARegistration@OhioAGO.gov.
Candidates who do not have an OPOTA Portal account may download, complete, and submit the Registration Form and Required Disclosures by email.
Important Reminder
Completion of the Refresher Training Program does not replace any statutory, continuing professional training, or agency training requirements.
Officers must continue to meet all required:
- Continuing Professional Training (CPT)
- Agency Firearms Qualifications
- Less-Lethal Conducted Electrical Device (CED) qualifications
- Chemical agent qualifications
- Any other training required or mandated by law
Agencies remain responsible for ensuring compliance with these separate requirements.
For additional information, refer to Ohio Revised Code 109.77(M).