109.803 Continuing professional training for peace officers and troopers.

109.803 Continuing professional training for peace officers and troopers.

(A)(1) Subject to division (A)(2) of this section, every appointing authority shall require each of its appointed peace officers and troopers to complete up to twenty-four hours of continuing professional training each calendar year, as directed by the Ohio peace officer training commission. The number of hours directed by the commission, up to twenty-four hours, is intended to be a minimum requirement, and appointing authorities are encouraged to exceed the number of hours the commission directs as the minimum. The commission shall set the required minimum number of hours based upon available funding for reimbursement as described in this division. If no funding for the reimbursement is available, no continuing professional training will be required.

(2) An appointing authority may submit a written request to the peace officer training commission that requests for a calendar year because of emergency circumstances an extension of the time within which one or more of its appointed peace officers or troopers must complete the required minimum number of hours of continuing professional training set by the commission, as described in division (A)(1) of this section. A request made under this division shall set forth the name of each of the appointing authority’s peace officers or troopers for whom an extension is requested, identify the emergency circumstances related to that peace officer or trooper, include documentation of those emergency circumstances, and set forth the date on which the request is submitted to the commission. A request shall be made under this division not later than the fifteenth day of December in the calendar year for which the extension is requested. Upon receipt of a written request made under this division, the executive director of the commission shall review the request and the submitted documentation. If the executive director of the commission is satisfied that emergency circumstances exist for any peace officer or trooper for whom a request was made under this division, the executive director may approve the request for that peace officer or trooper and grant an extension of the time within which that peace officer or trooper must complete the required minimum number of hours of continuing professional training set by the commission. An extension granted under this division may be for any period of time the executive director believes to be appropriate, and the executive director shall specify in the notice granting the extension the date on which the extension ends. Not later than thirty days after the date on which a request is submitted to the commission, for each peace officer and trooper for whom an extension is requested, the executive director either shall approve the request and grant an extension or deny the request and deny an extension and shall send to the appointing authority that submitted the request written notice of the executive director’s decision. If the executive director grants an extension of the time within which a particular appointed peace officer or trooper of an appointing authority must complete the required minimum number of hours of continuing professional training set by the commission, the appointing authority shall require that peace officer or trooper to complete the required minimum number of hours of training not later than the date on which the extension ends.

(B) With the advice of the Ohio peace officer training commission, the attorney general shall adopt in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code rules setting forth minimum standards for continuing professional training for peace officers and troopers and governing the administration of continuing professional training programs for peace officers and troopers. The attorney general shall transmit a certified copy of any rule adopted under this section to the secretary of state.

Amended by 128th General Assembly File No. 9, HB 1, § 101.01, eff. 10/16/2009.

Effective Date: 01-04-2007