Governor’s police panel focuses on final recommendations

COLUMBUS (AP) — The panel commissioned by Gov. John Kasich to study police and community relations today closed in on a final set of recommendations.

Panel members have previously suggested things like statewide committees to investigate police-involved shootings and a central database of any officer fired by a department. Other suggestions would require a central database of use-of-force incidents.

Several panelists recommend more training for dealing with the mentally ill and strategies to boost the number of minority police officers.

The future of the proposals is unclear, since some would require legislation.

A related task force created by Attorney General Mike DeWine is exploring possible changes to the way Ohio trains officers.

Both panels were created after protests over a series of police-involved shootings in Ohio and nationally.