Friday, December 19, 2014
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Police officers, city officials, pastors and others gathered near the Statehouse for the inaugural meeting of a new panel that will study state-required law-enforcement training and make recommendations for improvement.
Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine convened the initial session of his advisory group Thursday on law-enforcement training after the shooting death of a Cleveland youngster last month and other police-shooting incidents in Ohio and other states.
A main goal is to question whether current training is sufficient and whether additional coursework is needed, particularly concerning officers’ use of force and interaction with minority communities.
“The trust between police and the communities they serve is an integral part of the safety of those very communities,” DeWine said. “Equally important is ensuring the officers who encounter dangerous, life-threatening situations have the knowledge and skill and judgment necessary to react in an appropriate manner. There’s many questions for you to answer.”
Earlier this month, Gov. John Kasich announced a separate statewide panel, the Ohio Task Force on Community and Police Relations, to conduct public forums and study community policing practices and related issues.
“Too many people in communities of color feel like the protective shield that law and order is intended to provide is not working for them,” Kasich said in a statement. “The underlying friction can only be resolved by giving community members a chance for their voices to be heard and then moving forward to strengthen the essential relationship between communities and the police.”
DeWine announced the formation of his advisory group last week during a meeting of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission.
Vincent Peterson, an Akron-area pastor who works in the Trumbull County Adult Probation Department, is among the members of the attorney general’s advisory group.
“One of the things we’re trying to do is educate both sides as to what the responsibilities, what the feelings [are] that each one experiences,” Peterson said. “I think when you do that, then it will lessen any tension that may be within the community and the police department.”
He added, “I think this is much needed.”