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.

(3)(a) If a public appointing authority complies with the training requirement specified in division (A)(1) of this section by requiring each of its appointed peace officers and troopers to complete the number of hours of training the commission directs as the minimum and with division (B) of section 109.761 of the Revised Code and if the appointed peace officers and troopers of the public appointing authority comply with section 109.801 of the Revised Code to the extent that they are subject to that section and comply with all other training mandated by the general assembly or the attorney general, the attorney general shall reimburse the public appointing authority for the successful training costs of each of its appointed peace officers and troopers as provided in section 109.802 of the Revised Code.

(b) If the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission grants pursuant to division (A)(2) of this section an extension of the time within which one or more appointed peace officers or troopers of a public appointing authority must complete the required minimum number of hours of continuing professional training set by the commission, and if the criteria set forth in division (A)(3)(a) of this section are satisfied regarding each appointed peace officer or trooper of the public appointing authority for whom such an extension was not granted, the attorney general shall reimburse the public appointing authority for the successful training costs of each of its appointed peace officers and troopers for whom such an extension was not granted, as provided in section 109.802 of the Revised Code.

If an appointed peace officer or trooper of a public appointing authority for whom the executive director granted such an extension completes prior to the date on which the extension ends the number of hours of training the commission directs as the minimum, if the officer or trooper also has complied with section 109.801 of the Revised Code to the extent that the officer or trooper is subject to that section and has complied with all other training mandated by the general assembly or the attorney general, and if the public appointing authority has complied with division (B) of section 109.761 of the Revised Code, the attorney general shall reimburse the public appointing authority for the successful training costs of that peace officer or trooper as provided in section 109.802 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1) Subject to division (B)(2) of this section, no appointed peace officer or trooper of an appointing authority who fails to complete in any calendar year the required hours of continuing professional training the Ohio peace officer training commission directs pursuant to division (A) of this section as the minimum number of hours or who fails to comply with section 109.801 of the Revised Code or any other required training shall carry a firearm during the course of official duties or perform the functions of a peace officer or trooper until evidence of the peace officer’s or trooper’s compliance with those requirements is filed with the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission.

(2) If the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission grants pursuant to division (A)(2) of this section an extension of the time within which an 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, during the period of the extension division (B)(1) of this section does not apply to a peace officer or trooper for whom such an extension was granted, provided that peace officer or trooper has complied with section 109.801 of the Revised Code to the extent that the officer or trooper is subject to that section and has complied with all other required training. If a peace officer or trooper of an appointing authority for whom such an extension was granted fails to complete prior to the date on which the extension ends the required minimum number of hours of continuing professional training set by the commission, division (B)(1) of this section applies to that officer or trooper after the date on which the extension ends.

(C) 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.

Effective Date: 01-04-2007