Ohio Awards Certification, Recertification to 30 Agencies for Adopting Collaborative Board’s Standards

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – November 2, 2022 – Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services Executive Director Nicole Dehner announced today the certification and recertification of 30 Ohio law enforcement agencies for state standards established by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board.

Five agencies have adopted and implemented the initial two standards regarding use of force and hiring and recruitment. A total of 25 agencies completed the recertification process that takes place on a revolving, three to four-year cycle.

Overall, there are 587 certified agencies and three in the process of becoming certified by meeting the initial standards. Additionally, 29,352 officers (representing over 86.5% of all law enforcement officers in Ohio, including most of Ohio’s metropolitan areas) are employed by an agency that is involved in some form of the certification process.

Please see list below of recently certified agencies:

  • East Canton Police Department (Stark)
  • Independence Police Department (Cuyahoga)
  • Poland Township Police Department (Mahoning)
  • Racine Police Department (Meigs)
  • Van Wert Police Department (Van Wert)

Please see list below of recently recertified agencies:

  • Amherst Police Department (Lorain)
  • Bethel Police Department (Clermont)
  • Berlin Heights Police Department (Erie)
  • Boardman Township Police Department (Mahoning)
  • Chillicothe Police Department (Ross)
  • Circleville Police Department (Pickaway)
  • Clay Township Police Department (Montgomery)
  • Clearcreek Township Division of Police (Warren)
  • Cleveland Clinic Police Department (Cuyahoga)
  • Eastlake Police Department (Lake)
  • Fredericktown Police Department (Knox)
  • Glenwillow Police Department (Cuyahoga)
  • Hinckley Police Department (Medina)
  • Jackson Township Police Department (Stark)
  • Kirtland Hills Police Department (Lake)
  • Minerva Police Department (Stark)
  • Minster Police Department (Auglaize)
  • Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office
  • Roaming Shores Police Department (Ashtabula)
  • Saint Bernard Police Department (Hamilton)
  • Spencerville Police Department (Allen)
  • Waterville Township Police Department (Lucas)
  • Westfield Center Police Department (Medina)
  • Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office
  • Youngstown State University Police Department (Mahoning)

The Collaborative was formed in 2015 to create uniform minimum standards for Ohio’s law enforcement agencies. The first two standards were developed by the Collaborative in 2015 to improve the trust between citizens and law enforcement officers.

Additional standards established by the Collaborative address community engagement, bias-free policing, body-worn cameras, vehicular pursuits, telecommunicator training, employee misconduct, mass protests, agency wellness, and interaction with minors. The standards are the first of their kind in Ohio and were developed and established by the Collaborative as part of the state’s efforts to strengthen community and police relations.

The state has partnered with the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police to help certify Ohio’s nearly 900 law enforcement agencies on a process to ensure that they are in compliance with Ohio’s standards. The complete list of agencies who have and have not been certified can be found at by accessing the Collaborative website.