CLEVELAND — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called on some 460 police departments, including 23 departments in Cuyahoga County, who have yet to even start the process of meeting state minimum policing standards.
DeWine urged the departments to meet standards in use of force, including deadly force, recruitment and four other areas, in light of the Minneapolis police involve death of George Floyd and weeks of peaceful protests.
“More than 400 of those agencies in the state have not chosen to pursue certification,” DeWine said.
“Additional standards for law enforcement, including standards for body cameras, bias-free policing, employee misconduct and telecommunicators.”
Dewine pointed to a reportcreated by the Ohio Collaborative Police Advisory Board, which created the minimum policing standards, and said 79% of the police agencies are at least trying to meet one of the standards.
But DeWine said he will have the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services call on non-compliant police departments and ask them why they aren't making an effort.
Karhlton Moore, Executive Director with the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services, told News 5 his agency will offer a wide variety of resources to help police agencies meet the standards.
“We will urge them to adopt the standards and of course get an understanding why they haven’t,” Moore said.
“We have sheriff’s deputies, police officers, police chiefs who will go to a jurisdiction, help them through the process. I will even send my own staff.”
“If you work toward meeting state policing standards, what it says to the community that you serve is that we will voluntarily go through this process as a message to everyone in our community that we want to be on top of things.”
Keary McCarthy, Executive Director, Ohio Mayor’s Alliance, told News 5 mayor's from 30 of the state most influential cities are working to help promote the fulfillment in meeting Ohio policing standards
“Our Mayors and our coalition understand the challenges we’re facing today in communities all across the state,” McCarthy said.
“There needs to be a very close examination of use of force policies in cities all across the State of Ohio. The cities that I work with are having active conversations right now.”
“This very much a local policy challenge, and cities are on their own to try and figure it out.”
“Not just study, not just look at, but implement reforms, to understand what’s working and what’s not working to end racial bias.”
