“We have to do everything legally, and safely, within our power to get officers and deputies on the streets of our state,” Yost said. “Our brave men and women in uniform will be exposed to the coronavirus, and we need to make sure there are reinforcements should a worst-case scenario materialize.”
He asked the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy to expedite the final exams for 300 police cadets.
His team is developing a plan to safely test officers who completed training but have not taken the final exam. Preliminary plans include offering the test on alternating days, which would place less people in the same room during the the exam.
Yost also is working with local agencies to allow recently retired officers in good standing to return to the force. Plans includes giving returning officers a year to complete required training from their retirement date.
OPOTA is working with agencies to decide which required trainings returning officers need to be compliant with the academy. Any training still needed will be available online.
With a surge in coronavirus cases expected in Ohio and police having a higher risk of catching the virus due to their interactions with the public, Yost stressed the need for more officers.
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“This pandemic is stretching the thin blue line even thinner,” he said. “Now more than ever, we need all hands on deck.”
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