One of my top priorities since taking office has been to ensure that our law enforcement officers always get the advanced training they need to keep up with the demands and stay ahead of the dangers of the job.
By that I mean all sworn officers, every year, so they can be at the forefront of their profession.
It’s just common sense. Think of it in sports terms. You wouldn’t expect your school team to become the best in the state if the players couldn’t practice after their freshman year.
The answer is annual, state-paid continuing professional training, or CPT.
Last year, the law enforcement community got a taste of what that would look like, thanks to a $15 million pilot program the legislature approved and OPOTA administered. All told, more than 30,000 peace officers and troopers were required to take 24 hours of CPT in 2022. The state paid agencies up to 50% for the time their officers spent in training, and the agencies picked up the rest.
In December, before recessing for the year-end holidays, the legislature extended this pilot program by approving additional CPT funds through June 2023, when the fiscal year ends and a new state budget takes effect.
That’s good news, but it doesn’t solve the bigger problem, which is this: Funding for annual CPT in Ohio has been unpredictable. Last year was the exception, not the norm. Even though 24 hours of CPT is technically mandated every year under state law, the same law says agencies can’t require CPT if the legislature doesn’t set aside money to pay for it. That’s a big loophole, and when hard decisions about balancing the state budget have to be made, CPT funding, unfortunately, has typically been sacrificed.
That’s why I’m working with the administration and law enforcement partners to urge the General Assembly to create a permanent, sustainable fund that fully pays for CPT every year. Other states have adopted various permanent funding models, and I’m hopeful Ohio’s lawmakers will follow suit this year.
A permanent CPT fund for Ohio’s peace officers would accomplish two things. First, it would make our cops better prepared and our citizens safer. Second, it would eliminate the need for lawmakers to make CPT funding decisions every two years as part of the budget process.
It’s time we got this done, and I’ll be working like hell to see that it happens on my watch.
Yours,
Dave Yost
Ohio Attorney General