The Ohio Attorney General’s Blue Ribbon Task Force has new law enforcement training recommendations for officers across Ohio.

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The task force was formed in 2023 and charged with identifying areas for improvement in basic and continuing peach officer training, the Ohio AG’s office said.

This includes everything from overhauling the basic training curriculum to updating fitness requirements and even V-R goggles so officers can get used to high-pressure situations before they are on the streets.

“Our goal is simple: Today’s law enforcement agencies need to be ready for today’s problems,” said Dave Yost, Ohio Attorney General. “Police training in Ohio has been patched together, with a course added here and there to address a timely need. We took a step back so that we could move forward with a holistic approach. We want Ohio to serve as a national model by offering the best, most relevant training available year after year.”

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He added that the training methods established by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) and Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) have been relatively static for a decade and expectations have changed.

“We’re doing a lot of what we’ve always been doing, but the world is changing around us. Expectations are changing from the people who pay the bills and the communities we in law enforcement serve.

The task force released a special report that consists of seven primary recommendations:

• Amend the Peace Officer Basic Training (POBT) curriculum to reflect contemporary police services.

• Establish certification levels to reflect an officer’s training and experience.

• Create a Tactical Patrol Officer Program.

• Add new technologies while incorporating elements of reality-based situational decision-making scenarios into both basic and advanced training.

• Develop integrated lesson plans across training platforms.

• Focus on Continuing Professional Training (CPT) so that it keeps advancing police services.

• Expand annual firearms qualifications.

Recommendations from the task force will be presented to OPOTC for consideration of adoption.

Some will need approval from state lawmakers.