“We created this voluntary designation and said ‘If you want to be in the top tier… and pursue excellence, here are the criteria,’” Yost said. “Well-trained police do their jobs very well.”
The attorney general said cadets training in one of the more than 60 Ohio academies are entering into “maybe the toughest time for anyone to be a police officer.”
First response agencies nationally are experiencing issues with retention and recruitment. Yost said he thinks this is an issue that has “nothing to do with Sinclair and really nothing to do with Ohio,” but rather lies in policy.
“Places that are having trouble recruiting are places that tend to be dangerous places where the people at city hall aren’t willing to stand behind law enforcement while they do their very difficult job,” Yost said.
The Sinclair Police Academy conducted its first basic police academy in 1989. Since its inception, the academy has completed 126 basic police academies and approximately 2,400 cadets have successfully completed the program, according to Sinclair Community College.
Sinclair cadets undergo the required 740 hours of training through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, as well as an additional 41 hours of training.
Cadets are also instructed in 13 different areas, including first aid, CPR and building searches. People in the program also receive three hours of training in the use of drones, according to the college.
“Public safety is the first and most important function of government,” Yost said. “It always has been and still is.”
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