Police to be trained in recognizing and handling human trafficking cases
COLUMBUS
Newly required training hours for Ohio police officers will include the basics of how to recognize and handle human trafficking cases, Attorney General Mike DeWine said Monday.
After making remarks before Ohio’s Human Trafficking Commission, DeWine told reporters that more people need the training in order to make state efforts against the crime the most effective.
He said progress is being made, but more people need to take the law enforcement training.
“The law’s been changed in Ohio. Part of it is changing not just the law but how we in society, which includes police officers and everybody else, looks at these cases,” he said. “A lot of times what appears at first to be a relatively simple prostitution matter, when you dig deeper into it is much more than that.”
DeWine said there are ample training resources available. Ohio added $15 million for several additional hours of annual advanced training for police in its latest state operating budget. The move followed a string of fatal police shootings and protests in Ohio and nationally.
Last year, about 5,000 officers completed human trafficking training through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, or about one in seven, DeWine said.
Read MORE in Tuesday's Vindicator.