(LONDON, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced that his office’s Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy has received two grants totaling $280,000 to provide training for Ohio law enforcement officers on topics including identifying impaired drivers and investigating traffic collisions.
The grants were awarded by the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Ohio Traffic Safety Office, through funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to support several courses offered at the Attorney General’s Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA).
“Ohio law enforcement officers play a critical role in keeping our roads safe, and our goal is to provide them with advanced training, knowledge, and skills they can use to help protect our communities,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. “These grants will support courses that help officers identify impaired drivers, monitor vehicle speed, and prevent collisions, among other topics.”
An Impaired Driving Training Grant award totaling $200,000 will be used to reimburse the cost of tuition for Ohio law enforcement officers who attend the following OPOTA courses:
- Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE), which helps officers identify alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers.
- Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) Instructor, which certifies participants to instruct courses on field sobriety testing.
A Traffic Safety Grant Program award totaling $80,000 will be used to reimburse the cost of tuition for Ohio law enforcement officers who attend the following OPOTA courses:
- Advanced Traffic Collision Investigation (Level II), which covers advanced techniques for investigating traffic collisions, including measuring, mapping, and analyzing vehicle behavior.
- RADAR and LiDAR Operator, which teaches participants to operate radar and lidar devices (which measure speed) and includes field exercises, mock trial preparation, and courtroom testimony practice.
- RADAR and LiDAR Instructor, which trains participants to provide instruction on the operation of radar and lidar devices and on trial preparation and giving courtroom testimony.
- Traffic Collision Investigation (Level I), which covers techniques for investigating traffic collisions, including preparing field sketches and applying mathematical formulas to determine vehicle speed.
- Vehicle Dynamics (Level III), which provides techniques and formulas for investigating traffic collisions, including instruction on vehicle systems, vehicle motion, hydroplaning, rollovers, and determining energy, speed, and velocity.
Law enforcement officers may register for these and other OPOTA courses on the Ohio Attorney General’s website. The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, which is part of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, provides instruction in a variety of subjects for the Ohio law enforcement community using the latest research and recommended professional practices.