Police Department achieves recertification

Completion a ‘testament to dedication, training’ of officers, police chief says

The executive director of the Office of Criminal Justice Services, Karhlton Moore, recently announced that the Lakeland Community College Police Department has completed the Ohio Collaborative recertification process.

According to the Ohio Department of Public Safety, recertification of the Ohio Collaborative standards takes place on a revolving three- to fouryear cycle.

The Office plans to recertify more than 200 agencies by the end of 2020.

Additionally, there are 452 agencies employing over 28,088 officers, representing over 87 percent of all law enforcement officers in Ohio, including most of the state’s metropolitan areas, that are certified, and 24 that are in the process of becoming certified by meeting standards for the use of force, including deadly force, and agency recruitment and hiring.

The process consists of providing “proofs” that support a department’s policy previously approved by the Collaborative, noted Lakeland Police Chief Ron Morenz.

“It’s basically proving that you are doing what your policies require,” he said.

Currently, there are four groups of standards a department can be certified in:

• Group 1 — Use of Force and Recruitment and Hiring

• Group 2 — Community

Engagement, Body Worn Cameras, and Telecommunicator Training

• Group 3 — Bias Free Policing and Investigation of Employee Misconduct

• Group 4 — Vehicular Pursuit

“We received our recertification in Group 1 on July 28,” Morenz added. “Our initial certification was approved on Nov. 18, 2016. The Collaborative added additional groups and we received our initial certification in the remaining three groups (also) on July 28.”

The standards are the first of their kind in Ohio, established on Aug. 28, 2015, by the 12-person Ohio Collaborative CommunityPolice Advisory Board 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 new standards.

Morenz noted the overall goal is for departments to voluntarily adopt their minimum standards so that all departments across Ohio have a best-practice policy in the detailed areas.

“Because departments do not have the Collaborative certification doesn’t necessarily mean they do not have an up-to-date policy,” he said. “It just means they haven’t gone through the process.

“This certification is a testament to the dedication and training of our officers to remain in the forefront of policing. We will continue to provide professional services to our college community.”