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With the recent cries across the country to defund police departments due to police brutality, it is interesting to learn of how much training is NOT required for local police in Ohio. Which brings to question, Should we require more training and education for those who have sworn to serve and protect? Is 737 hours of training enough?
via. Cincinnati
But Ohio law requires fewer hours of training to become a police officer than the person who cuts your hair: a minimum of 737 hours for officers compared to 1,500 for licensed cosmetologists and 1,800 for barbers.
Many police departments require training beyond the state’s minimum requirements. For example, Cincinnati police run a 28-week training program. Columbus and Cleveland police both offer 1,100 hours of training to recruits.
But the level of training often depends on a department’s finances, which vary dramatically across the state.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a problem,” said Dwight Holcomb, executive director of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. “It 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 annual training for police officers beyond re-qualifying to use a firearm.
Annual training is mandatory only when Ohio lawmakers allocate money to pay for it, and that hasn’t happened since 2017. At that time, officers had to complete 20 hours of training focused on how to interact with people with mental illnesses, when to use force and updates on Ohio law.
