The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Several police departments adopt new state standards
As the March 31 deadline to adopt the new state standards established by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board approaches, Lorain County law enforcement agencies continue to submit their applications and earn their certifications.
The North Ridgeville Police Department was the latest to be certified for adopting and
implementing the standards, according to a Feb. 13 media release from the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services.
Other county law enforcement agencies recognized for adopting the standards include Avon, Elyria, Grafton and Lorain police departments, as well as the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, according to the advisory board’s website.
Avon Lake police Chief Duane Streator said his department received its certification Feb. 6, but the advisory board’s website has yet to reflect that information.
But at least one Lorain County police department is not planning to adopt the advisory board’s recommended standards.
Wellington police Chief Tim Barfield said he was looking into adopting the universal policies, but now he has no intentions of submitting an application.
In December 2014, Ohio Gov. John Kasich created the Ohio Task Force on Community-Police Relations, which includes 24 members representing the governor, legislature, attorney general, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, local law enforcement, organized labor, local community leaders, the faith-based community, business, municipalities and prosecuting attorneys.
The advisory board, which is a 12-person panel, was created to oversee the implementation of recommendations made by the task force.
In August 2015, the advisory board established six state standards for bias free policing, law enforcement telecommunicator training, body worn cameras, use of force, use of deadly force, agency employee recruitment and hiring and community engagement. The four elements of a standard include policy/procedure, knowledge/awareness, proficiency and compliance.
According to the advisory board’s website, this is the first time the state has created standards for use of deadly force and recruitment and hiring.
North Ridgeville police Capt. Marti Garrow said it wasn’t difficult to comply with the new standards as the department already had a use of force policy in place and very few changes needed to be made.
Garrow said the Police Department did have to establish a formal policy for hiring and recruitment, but it already was following state protocols despite it not being in writing.
Lorain police Sgt. Larry Meek said the Police Department also had a use of force policy in place that needed only slight adjustments. Lorain also had to create a formal recruitment and hiring policy, but Meek said Lorain already was following state guidelines.
“We pretty much fit in really easy,” Meek said, adding he believes it’s beneficial for all Ohio departments to be on the same page with universal policies.
Garrow said only time will tell if the standards prove to be beneficial or not.
“It depends on what they continue to do with them,” he said, noting he has concerns about “cookie-cutter language.” “What Columbus and Cleveland need do with their size department is certainly different than what we need to do with our size.
“I think what might apply to them certainly isn’t necessarily going to apply to us.”
Garrow said the next part of the certification process involves an evaluator visiting the department and conducting an assessment, but that has yet to be scheduled.
Barfield listed a number of reasons for why the Wellington Police Department won’t adopt the state standards, including there’s no legal obligation. Meeting the standards also is time consuming, and no one will offset the cost, he said.
“This is very politically oriented,” Barfield said. “This is not about what’s right or wrong, it’s about what a bunch of people who are appointed by the governor think ought to happen, and not necessarily anything based on fact or evidence.”
Sheffield Village and Oberlin police departments are among those waiting to hear back from the advisory board, according to respective department officials. The list detailing every department in the state who has adopted the new minimum standards will be published March 31.
The list detailing every department in the state who has adopted the new minimum standards will be published March 31.