Two Valley police departments meet state standards

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

The Austintown Police Department and the Liberty Township Police Department have adopted and implemented state standards established by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board as part of the state’s efforts to strengthen community and police relations.

The agencies join more than 35 other agencies that have become certified by meeting standards for the use of force, including deadly force and agency recruitment and hiring.

The standards are the first of their kind in Ohio and were developed by the 12-member collaborative in August 2015.

The state has partnered with the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police to help certify Ohio’s nearly 1,000 law enforcement agencies on a process to ensure that they are in compliance with Ohio’s new standards.

Certifications will continue throughout 2016.

The first list of all Ohio compliant agencies will be published in March 2017.

For information on the Ohio Collaborative, the certification process for law- enforcement agencies and the complete list of agencies who have been certified, visit www.ocjs.ohio.gov/ohiocollaborative.