An investigation is underway into 15 Cleveland police recruits following alleged irregularities involving plagiarism found in their Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) required notebooks.
The notebooks are required by the police academy and are used to take the final exam the cadets need to pass in order to become sworn officers, a police source said. Each cadet is required to take notes during class and then transfer their notes to an OPOTA notebook. The class notebooks are regularly inspected by instructors.
The investigation was ordered when the notebooks were inspected and signs of plagiarism were found, according to a police source. Details surrounding what was allegedly plagiarized were not released.
Once the investigation is complete, the results will be sent up the chain of command to the Office of the Director of Public Safety, said a Cleveland police spokesperson.
If the investigation uncovers evidence of plagiarism, the recruits will be banned from taking the exam and ultimately fail the academy, the police source said.
