(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio will usher in the most comprehensive overhaul of law enforcement training in decades when training academies next month begin teaching an updated curriculum that prioritizes modern-day policing issues.
“We’re giving Ohio’s peace officers what they need to do their job — real-world tools and the training to handle the toughest calls,” said Attorney General Dave Yost, whose office encompasses the standards-setting Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC). “This isn’t just reform — it’s a significant investment in the future of policing in Ohio.”
The changes reflect the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future of Police Training, which Yost commissioned in 2023.
Effective July 1, academies will introduce the updated curriculum that is mandatory by Jan. 1, 2026. The changes reflect the task force’s vision for a modernized, skills-based officer training program.
Under the current OPOTC curriculum, a cadet must take a minimum of 740 hours of training to obtain certification. Within that curriculum, however, the task force found that some courses being taught did not add sufficient value to a new officer’s basic education.
Incoming cadets to any Peace Officer Basic Training (POBT) academy will now see 72 hours of outdated curriculum replaced with practical, high-stakes training tailored to today’s law enforcement environment, including new courses on active shooters and threat response, critical decision-making, crisis mitigation and de-escalation, communications and mediation, and incident debriefs.
Courses removed or reclassified (72 hours total):
- Blue Courage (16 hours): Post-graduation offering
- First Aid, CPR, AED (8 hours): Online prerequisite
- ICS/NIMS (8 hours): Online prerequisite
- NHTSA Speed Measuring Device (40 hours): Post-graduation elective
New training topics (72 hours total):
- Basic & Interpersonal Communications & Mediation: 44 hours
- Incident Debrief Training: 4 hours
- Active Shooter/Threat Response + Duty to Render Aid: 8 hours
- ICAT (Critical Decision-Making, Tactical Breathing, Crisis Mitigation, De-escalation): 16 hours
On a related matter, the task force — recognizing the urgent need to support law enforcement recruitment — introduced a modified graduation fitness standard that was implemented after OPOTC approved it in May of 2024. Although entry-level standards remain unchanged, cadets are eligible to graduate if they pass two of the three fitness test components (sit-ups, push-ups, 1.5-mile run), as long as they meet at least 75% of expected progress in the third component.
In the year since this change, 91 additional cadets have graduated — officers who would have been disqualified under the previous standard — strengthening Ohio’s law enforcement presence at a critical time.
“Updating Ohio’s standards ensures we align with today’s job demands—allowing us to strengthen the force, better reflect our communities, and increase the number of qualified officers on the streets without compromising integrity or readiness,” Yost said.
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Kelly May: 614-813-7419