COLUMBUS, Ohio – In the wake of police-involved shootings in Cleveland, Missouri, and New York that have prompted protests and calls for changes to police procedures and improved community relations, Ohio’s top law enforcement official wants to take a look at how police officers are trained.
Attorney General Mike DeWine appointed a working group made up of law enforcement officials, community and church leaders, and representatives from the legal system to review the quality and availability of peace officer training.
The training of Cleveland police officers was one aspect of the department’s operations criticized recently by a U.S. Justice Department report that found widespread use of excessive force in the city where a 12-year-old boy was shot to death while carrying a pellet gun.
“Over the past several months, officer-involved shootings and use-of-force situations across Ohio and our nation have ended in tragedy. Improving the trust between police and the communities they serve is vital to the functioning of our state and the safety of our communities,” DeWine said during a special meeting of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission on Thursday.
The nine-member commission issues recommendations to the Attorney General about matters pertaining to law enforcement training.
Columbus police Det. Regina Dudley, Westerville Police Chief Joe Morbitzer, and Sgt. Ramon Diaz, of the Delaware Police Department, are among the central Ohioans serving on the special panel, which will offer up a list of recommendation to the full commission.
The rest of the working group:
Rev. Dr. David Cobb, Emmanuel Baptist Church, Cleveland
Bishop Joey Johnson, The House of the Lord, Akron
Tony Ortiz, Vice President of Latino Affairs, Wright State University
Vince Peterson, Trumbull County Adult Probation Department
Terry Russell, Executive Director of National Alliance on Mental Illness for Ohio
Ofc. Sarah Shendy, Copley Police Department
Chris Smitherman, Cincinnati City Council
Dr. Reggie Wilkinson, Former Director of Ohio Dept. of Rehabilitation and Correction
Lt. Colonel George Williams, Ohio State Highway Patrol
Rev. Dr. Daryl Ward, Omega Baptist Church, Dayton
Andy Wilson, Clark County Prosecutor’s Office
Maj. Daryl Wilson, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Keith Wood, Meigs County Sheriff’s Office