COLUMBUS — The Bluffton Police Department has been certified by the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services for adopting and implementing state standards established by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board as part of the state’s efforts to strengthen community and police relations.
According to a statement issued by the advisory board, more than 500 agencies employing more than 27,000 officers in all 88 counties are either certified or in the process of becoming certified by meeting standards for the use of force, including deadly force, and agency recruitment and hiring.
The standards are the first of their kind in Ohio and were developed by the Collaborative in August 2015.
The state has partnered with the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police to help certify Ohio’s nearly 960 law enforcement agencies on a process to ensure that they are in compliance with Ohio’s new standards.
The report, which includes information on the certification process and the complete list of agencies who have and have not been certified, can be found at: http://www.ocjs.ohio.gov/ohiocollaborative.
