Basic Peace Officer Academy - OPOTC Certificate

Chadwick E. Massie, M.Ed., Paramedic, Coordinator
Phone: (419) 995-8228
Email: massie.c@rhodesstate.edu
Office: TL 162B

The Basic Peace Officer Training certificate is in compliance with the standards set by the State of Ohio and by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission.  Upon completion of the Academy, cadets are qualified to take the Ohio Peace officer Training Commission Test. Successful completion allows the student to become a law enforcement officer in any jurisdiction in Ohio.  Basic Peace Officer Training topics include administration, legal, human relations, firearms, driving, traffic, investigation, patrol, traffic enforcement, civil disorders, defensive tactics, first aid, homeland security and physical conditioning.  All skills taught are designed to meet the standards set by the state and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission. Students interested in joining the Academy must first pass a physical fitness test.

Rhodes State College offers a unique full-time Police Academy (LAW 2900) that can be completed in 16 weeks and is usually offered in spring through summer. The program is known for being one of the most accelerated in the state of Ohio and boasts new training opportunities that have been added since previous years.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion, the student will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate physical fitness and conditioning required of basic law enforcement.
  2. Understand basic law enforcement functions in policing, ethics and professionalism, civil liability and use of force, cultural diversity and procedural justice, and human trafficking and missing persons.
  3. Demonstrate competency in the psychomotor skills required to perform basic law enforcement involving firearms, first aid/CPR/AED, critical first aid, arrest, search, and seizure.
  4. Demonstrate understanding of the fundamentals of the criminal justice system, legal basics, Ohio Revised Code regarding crimes against persons, property, and administration and other offenses, and interview and interrogation.
  5. Understand traffic, motor vehicle offenses, traffic citation, direction and control, traffic crash investigation, speed enforcement, and speed measurement devices.
  6. Practice the psychomotor skills to perform basic law enforcement involving a standardized field sobriety test, building searches, stops and approaches, and prisoner handling.
  7. Understand crisis intervention, domestic violence and responding to victim’s needs, juvenile justice system, crime scene investigation, patrolling, and prisoner booking.
  8. Prepare for the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) certification examination.

Technical Standards
See here for details.