OPOTA Mobile Academy, October 2014

OPOTA Mobile Academy

Dear Law Enforcement Colleague,

The Attorney General’s Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) offers state-of-the-art firearms and driving simulators, a diverse selection of regional courses, and expert instructors through its Mobile Academy, which takes training on the road directly to local law enforcement agencies. Most offerings are available at no cost to local departments. Hundreds of courses are also available at the London and Richfield OPOTA campuses and online through eOPOTA. For a full list of courses, browse the OPOTA course catalog at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/OPOTACourses.


In this issue:


Free Course Addresses Child Abduction Investigations

OPOTA will host an Advanced Investigative Strategies for Child Abduction Cases course at its Richfield campus Dec. 1-4. The free course is presented by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Programs. The Amber Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program will cover tuition, materials, and instructional costs. The course is designed for investigative and supervisory professionals with direct investigative or case management responsibilities who have experience in investigations involving abducted, kidnapped, exploited, or murdered children. It focuses on legal issues, DNA as an investigative resource, computer forensics, and related issues. A draft agenda outlines additional content. The deadline to register through Fox Valley Technical College’s training registration site is Oct. 30. (By clicking on the link, you automatically add the course to your cart and can check out to register.) For additional information, call 877-71-AMBER (877-712-6237) or email askamber@fvtc.edu. In addition to this opportunity, OPOTA offers Finding Words (description follows) and other courses involving crimes against children and will provide a full track of workshops on the topic at the Attorney General’s 2014 Law Enforcement Conference Oct. 28-29 in Columbus. 

Finding Words, Other Courses Satisfy CPT Requirement

Finding Words, a course for first responders on how to correctly approach and interview a possible victim of child sexual abuse, is available on eOPOTA. The course instructs officers how to conduct and tailor a basic fact-finding investigative interview based on the age, maturity, and needs of the alleged victim. This course and several other OPOTA and eOPOTA offerings satisfy the one-hour Crimes Against Families critical subject training necessary under 2014 Continuing Professional Training (CPT) requirements. The other three CPT hours required of all Ohio peace officers and troopers in 2014 can be on general law enforcement topics. A list of Crimes Against Families offerings and other courses appears in the OPOTA course catalog. For more information, contact OPOTA at 740-845-2700 or AskOPOTA@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.

OPOTA Offers Regional Subject Control Training

OPOTA’s Mobile Academy offers regional subject control classes to law enforcement throughout the state. OPOTA staff members take the training on the road to offer instruction in defensive tactics, ground defense, weapon retention, and edge weapon defense. OPOTA provides Dollamur flexi-roll mats and other materials needed for the one-day training.  Law enforcement agencies wishing to schedule regional subject control training should email AskOPOTA@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.

Staff Brings Portable Training Facilities to You

OPOTA’s Mobile Academy has three portable training facilities available to law enforcement across the state. OPOTA staff members take the 24-square-foot structures on location to offer training in responding to active shooter incidents, clearing buildings, conducting building searches, and other topics. Law enforcement agencies wishing to schedule a course using a portable training facility should email AskOPOTA@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.

Regional Training Opportunities

The Attorney General’s Office presents the following regional training opportunities for law enforcement. Register online at www.OHLEG.org/ or fill out the registration form at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/OPOTARegistration. Most offerings are available at no cost to local departments.

Below 100
This course is tied to efforts to drastically reduce law enforcement line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) by instilling a culture of safety within agencies. The goal is to progressively reduce LODDs to less than 100 annually nationwide. The program specifically addresses the operational areas of law enforcement that contribute to the greatest number of preventable LODDs. These tenets are discussed: safety belt and vest use, slowing down while driving, concentrating on what is important now, and remembering that complacency kills.

Oct. 6, 2014 | 8 a.m.–noon
OPOTA Course 01-517-14-03
Centerville Police Department
155 W. Spring Valley Road
Centerville, OH
Cost: Free

Nov. 17, 2014 | 8 a.m.–noon
OPOTA Course 51-517-14-01
OPOTA Richfield
4055 Highlander Parkway
Richfield, OH
Cost: Free

Leading for Law Enforcement
This eight-hour advanced training workshop challenges officers to discover their leadership potential. The course includes exercises involving behavioral tendencies to help individuals understand and relate to what followers want and deserve.

Oct. 8, 2014 | 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
OPOTA Course 01-519-14-01
Owens Community College
Center for Emergency Preparedness
30150 Tracy Road
Walbridge, OH
Cost: Free

Nov. 10, 2014 | 8 a.m. –5 p.m.
OPOTA Course 51-519-14-01
OPOTA Richfield
4055 Highlander Parkway
Richfield, OH
Cost: Free

Dec. 2, 2014 | 8 a.m.­–5 p.m.
OPOTA Course 01-519-14-02
Centerville Police Department
155 W. Spring Valley Pike
Dayton, OH
Cost: Free

Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy
This eight-hour course focuses on procedural justice and legitimacy to strengthen a law enforcement agency’s relationship with the community and ultimately improve officer safety and efficiency.

Oct 17, 2014 8 a.m.4 p.m.
OPOTA Course 02-342-14-04
Sinclair Community College
444 W. Third St.,
Building 14, Room 130
Dayton, OH
Cost: Free

Nov 21, 2014 8 a.m. ­–4 p.m.
OPOTA Course 02-342-14-05
Sinclair Community College
444 W. Third St.,
Building 14, Room 130
Dayton, OH
Cost: Free

Instructional Skills (80 Hours)
This 10-day course prepares students to write and present lesson plans in a law enforcement setting. Topics include instruction in the theories of adult education, teaching techniques, lesson-plan development, student learning objectives, platform teaching skills, facilitative learning, evaluation and measurement, working with problem learners, and training aid usage. This is an academically challenging course merging theory and practice. Students are required to present a 15-minute lesson plan, a 30-minute lesson plan, and a 45-minute course of instruction using a prepared commission basic training lesson plan. Students should expect to work 20 to 30 hours outside the classroom to prepare for classroom presentations. Note: A pre-course assignment will be given approximately 30 days prior to the start of the course. Students need to bring a familiar computer with MS Word and MS PowerPoint version 2003 or newer. Course 06-220-14-09 at James A. Rhodes State College has a split schedule, with one week off between the first and last weeks.

Oct. 20–24, 2014 | 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (Split Schedule)
Nov. 3–7, 2014 | 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
OPOTA Course 06-220-14-09
James A. Rhodes State College
Keese Hall
4240 Campus Drive
Lima, OH
Cost: $400

Domestic Violence Update 2014
This domestic violence update course covers what constitutes family/household members, levels of harm and participants’ relationships, on-scene safety aspects, information needed prior to arrival, approaches, entries, and separation of parties. Also covered are various protection orders available, particularly those enforceable by arrest.

Nov. 12, 2014 | 1–5 p.m.
OPOTA Course 02-341-14-01
Sidney Police Department
234 W. Court St.
Sidney, OH
Cost: Free

VALOR Training
This course for frontline law enforcement officers is designed to promote officer safety and help prevent line-of-duty injuries and deaths. It examines some of the common characteristics of street-level criminal gunmen, including the behaviors, movements, and visual cues that may indicate the presence of a firearm. It also provides an overview of the general threat picture to law enforcement officers and covers the need to maintain awareness of environmental dangers to increase the likelihood of surviving an armed encounter.

Nov. 18, 2014 | 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
OPOTA Course 56-727-14-01
OPOTA Richfield
4055 Highlander Parkway
Richfield, OH
Cost: Free

Nov. 19, 2014 | 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
OPOTA Course 06-727-14-01
Columbus Police Academy
1000 N. Hague Ave.
Columbus, OH
Cost: Free

Legal Update Training
This half-day training covers recent case and statutory law in the areas of search and seizure, Miranda warnings, and laws of arrest. Hypothetical fact patterns are utilized to facilitate instruction.

Dec. 16, 2014 | 8 a.m.–noon
OPOTA Course 03-717-14-03
Youngstown State University (Kilcawley Center: Chestnut Room)
1 University Plaza
Youngstown, OH
Cost: Free


New London Campus Courses

The Attorney General’s Office presents the following new training opportunities for law enforcement at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy’s London Campus, 1560 State Route 56 SW, London, OH. Register online at www.OHLEG.org/ or fill out the registration form at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/OPOTARegistration.

Drag Factor Determination for the Traffic Collision Investigation
This course teaches officers how to determine the effective drag factor after a collision and how to adjust the drag factor using the vehicles’ weight distribution and the surface coefficient of friction. Practical exercises with skidding and rotating vehicles on various surfaces are part of this course. Note: Students must bring a calculator and will participate in outside exercises. Advanced Traffic Collision Investigation (TCI II) or equivalent is recommended but not required.

Nov. 12–13, 2014 | 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
OPOTA Course 06-453-14-02
OPOTA Tactical Training Center
1960 U.S. Route 42 SW
London, OH
Cost: $75

The Warrior’s Edge
Based on Lt. Jim Glennon’s book “Arresting Communication,” this course is designed to examine the importance of communication skills as they pertain to officer safety. Topics include detecting pre-attack indicators, recognizing deception, developing effective routines, accurately reading body language, establishing command presence, understanding proxemics, the “idiot” factor, and the truths of the human animal.

Nov. 13, 2014 | 8 a.m.–5p.m.
OPOTA Tactical Training Cente
1960 U.S. Route 42 SW
London, OH
Cost: $139/person
Groups of 3+ $129/person (coupon code AAA10)
Groups of 6+ $109/person (coupon code AAA30)

Humane Agency Training (24 Hours)
This course provides the mandatory training for humane agents and benefits law enforcement officers desiring training on crimes against animals. Topics include ethics and professionalism, legal issues, investigations, animal husbandry, and report writing. Prerequisite: Students must be employed (but not yet appointed) as a humane agent or be a current commissioned peace officer.

Dec. 8–10, 2014 | 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
OPOTA Course 01-513-14-04
OPOTA London
Cost: $150


More than 80 eOPOTA Courses Available

In addition to our regional and campus trainings, be sure to check out our lineup of free eOPOTA online courses at www.OHLEG.org. More than 80 courses are available on a wide range of topics pertinent to Ohio law enforcement officers. All are available 24/7 at no cost to local agencies.

Update Your Contact Information

To update your information and ensure you continue to receive training and other important law enforcement announcements, visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/OPOTAUpdate. This is especially important for heads of agencies.

Questions?

Send your questions on training, certification requirements, and other issues to askOPOTA@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.

Very respectfully yours,

Mike DeWine

Mike DeWine
Ohio Attorney General