Name: Ohio requires fewer hours of training for police officers than barbers. That could change.
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Ohio requires fewer hours of training for police officers than barbers. That could change.

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Cincinnati EnquirerView CommentsCOLUMBUS - Michael Brown. Tamir Rice. John Crawford III. Sam DuBose. George Floyd. After each death of a black man or boy at the hands of police, officials propose a similar remedy: more training.&nbsp;In the wake of Floyd's death, on everything from de-escalation&nbsp;– police techniques used to reduce the need to use force&nbsp;–&nbsp;to implicit bias&nbsp;– stereotypes that all people have without conscious knowledge.&nbsp;From police officers to protesters, everyone seems to agree that a better trained, more professional police force can improve officers' decision making and build the community's faith in law enforcement.But Ohio law requires fewer hours of training to become a police officer than the person who cuts your hair:&nbsp;a minimum of 737 hours for officers compared to 1,500 for and 1,800 for barbers.Many police departments require training beyond the state's minimum requirements. For example,&nbsp;. and police both offer 1,100 hours of training to recruits.But the level of training often depends on a department's finances, which vary&nbsp;dramatically across the state.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“I wouldn’t say it’s a problem," said Dwight Holcomb, executive director of the&nbsp;Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. "It&nbsp;certainly would be a concern that you want to try to have as consistent training across the state as you can."Ohio also doesn't require&nbsp;annual training for police officers&nbsp;beyond re-qualifying to use a firearm.Annual training is mandatory only when Ohio lawmakers allocate money to pay for it,&nbsp;and that hasn't happened since 2017. At that time, officers had to complete 20 hours of training focused on .&nbsp;Even though DeWine called for more police training as the state's attorney general, he didn't fund it in his first budget as governor.&nbsp;"There’s never been a funding stream identified to provide local agencies with the training necessary in their field," said Robert Cornwell, executive director of the Buckeye&nbsp;State&nbsp;Sheriffs'&nbsp;Association.&nbsp;The result: officers&nbsp;across the state aren't equally – or in some cases, adequately – equipped to protect and serve Ohioans.&nbsp;The problem of adequately funding police training isn't new&nbsp;or unique to Ohio.&nbsp;Officers in Ohio are reimbursed $20 per hour for training, but the overall cost can be higher because their colleagues are paid overtime to cover shifts, state training academy director Holcomb said.To pay for that training, police lobbied lawmakers to set aside 2% of casino taxes for a state&nbsp;law enforcement training fund. But casinos have since underperformed financial expectations&nbsp;and that fund, which has averaged about $4.6 million in recent years, has never been enough, Cornwell said.&nbsp;That fund has been depleted even further because for months&nbsp;to limit&nbsp;the spread of the novel coronavirus.Even if it were adequately funded, the pot of money has sparked fights over how it should be used.In 2013, the Fraternal Order of Police and others were livid when the Ohio State Highway Patrol used that&nbsp;money to pay for&nbsp;travel expenses, hotel rooms, meals and logo polo shirts, Now, that&nbsp;money pays for training&nbsp;casino agents and some advanced training, an Ohio attorney general's office spokesman said.More recently,&nbsp;the attorney general's office eliminated 39 jobs at the state’s police officer training academy outside Columbus, including 27 police training officers. The academy will focus on tactical driving and firearms training while hiring guest instructors with recent experience in the field to conduct other courses, Holcomb said.&nbsp;“Law enforcement deserves the best education and training we can offer and our current structure falls short,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said . “This redesign means better, more thorough training.”Even if Ohio lawmakers agree more money is needed for police training, it's unclear where they will find the cash given . Ohio faces a because of coronavirus-related closures.&nbsp;Meanwhile, some are proposing spending less money on police and diverting those resources to schools, social services and other initiatives. in&nbsp;Minneapolis where . On Thursday, two former officers turned GOP&nbsp;lawmakers, Harrison Rep. Cindy Abrams and Dayton Rep. Phil Plummer, proposed increasing pay and training for officers across the state, but it's not yet clear who would pay for it.&nbsp;"We come up with money when there are emergencies," said Plummer, pointing out agencies are paying for lawsuits and protest-related overtime&nbsp;now. “We have to make this a priority.”Democrats have proposed required training on , , but again, it's not clear who will pay for it.Over the years, police have posed alternative funding streams, including increased court costs, Cornwell said. But that idea was rejected because many can't afford to pay current court costs.&nbsp;Some states have gotten creative. in the state to pay for more police training, including instruction on implicit bias.Beyond training, DeWine and GOP lawmakers want more transparency from Ohio's police officers.Plummer and Abrams want to standardize disciplinary processes across the state, create a database of officers who have been suspended because of use of force violations or dishonesty and fire officers convicted of violent misdemeanors.&nbsp;“We need to protect the good officers and weed out the bad officers,” Plummer said.&nbsp;In Ohio, it's still too easy for an officer fired from one job to find another, DeWine said.&nbsp; who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice and was later hired by a village department. Under current law, it can be difficult to revoke an officer's certificate to work in Ohio for anything short of .Unlike doctors, dentists, cosmetologists,&nbsp;architects, accountants and Ohioans can't check the status of police officer's certification or records of discipline. DeWine wants to change that.&nbsp;"It is a respect for those officers," DeWine said. "You have that licensing because you are a professional and you are a very, very important professional."The Associated Press contributed to this article.View Comments

Cincinnati EnquirerView CommentsCOLUMBUS - Michael Brown. Tamir Rice. John Crawford III. Sam DuBose. George Floyd. After each death of a black man or boy at the hands of police, officials propose a similar remedy: more training.&nbsp;In the wake of Floyd's death, on everything from de-escalation&nbsp;– police techniques used to reduce the need to use force&nbsp;–&nbsp;to implicit bias&nbsp;– stereotypes that all people have without conscious knowledge.&nbsp;From police officers to protesters, everyone seems to agree that a better trained, more professional police force can improve officers'...

Ohio requires fewer hours of training for police officers than barbers. That could change.

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