2022 Law Enforcement Certification Report Shows Progress in Meeting Collaborative Standards

COLUMBUS – March 31, 2022 –  Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced today that 88 percent of Ohio’s population is now served by a law enforcement agency meeting or seeking to meet standards developed by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board.  

“The relationship between law enforcement and the Ohioans they serve is vital,” said Governor DeWine. “Agencies that have adopted the standards are strengthening community confidence, while also creating a safer Ohio. They are to be commended for making policing better all across the state.”

The 2022 law enforcement certification report provides an update on the number of law enforcement agencies that have implemented Ohio’s statewide minimum standards on community engagement, bias-free policing, body-worn cameras, vehicular pursuits, telecommunicator training, use of force, hiring and recruitment, and employee misconduct.   

A total of 569 law enforcement agencies, an increase of 40 since the 2021 report, have adopted the initial standards about use of force and hiring and recruitment, while five agencies are in the process of adopting these standards. The first two standards were developed by the Ohio Collaborative in 2015 to improve the trust between citizens and law enforcement officers. 

According to the report, 87 percent of law enforcement officers are employed by a certified agency or an agency actively seeking certification. Since the establishment of the standards, 283 agencies, an increase of 73 since the 2021 report, have achieved recertification in those same standards.

To receive certification, agencies must be compliant with two mandatory safe policing practices: adherence to applicable federal, state, and local laws, and prohibition of choke holds, a physical maneuver that restricts an individual’s ability to breathe for the purposes of incapacitation, except in those situations where the use of deadly force is allowed by law. Today’s report shows that OCJS certified 661 agencies in this federal certification, covering 84 percent of Ohio’s population.

Certification numbers about the two most recent standards adopted by the Collaborative – mass protests and agency wellness – will be included in next year’s report.

OCJS partners with the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police to help certify Ohio’s law enforcement agencies in the state and federal standards.

For more information, please visit the Ohio Collaborative’s web site.