To amend sections 109.77 and 737.15 and to enact sections 505.496 and 737.053 of the Revised Code to require an individual appointed as a chief of police to complete a peace officer basic training program.
Summary
HB852 would require that anyone appointed as a chief of police in a township police district, joint police district, city police department, or village police force hold a peace officer basic training certificate. The bill also creates a limited interim-chief process: a local government may appoint an interim chief who does not yet have the certificate, but that person may not perform peace officer duties or carry a weapon in connection with those duties until the training is completed and the certificate is issued. Interim chiefs would generally be limited to six months, with a possible extension for good cause, and must enroll in an approved basic training program during that period.
The bill amends the state peace officer training law to expressly include chiefs of police and village marshals among the positions that must meet basic training requirements, while preserving existing exceptions for current officeholders and certain interim appointees. It also ties compliance to funding consequences: township/joint police districts, city police departments, and appointing authorities for village marshals could lose eligibility for certain attorney general training reimbursements and Department of Public Safety law enforcement grants if they fail to fill vacancies or comply with the certification requirement within 180 days. The bill further updates the training statute to reflect current references and to maintain related requirements for domestic violence, crisis intervention, and companion animal encounters in peace officer basic training.
Impact
HB852 would change Ohio law by adding explicit certification requirements for newly appointed chiefs of police and village marshals, and by creating new sections governing interim appointments and enforcement through grant and reimbursement penalties. It would amend Revised Code sections 109.77 and 737.15 and enact new sections 505.496 and 737.053, affecting township police districts, joint police districts, city police departments, villages, and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission. The bill would also reinforce the role of the executive director of the commission in issuing certificates and would preserve existing grandfathering provisions for current officeholders and other long-serving officers.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the apparent sentiment is generally supportive of professionalizing police leadership and ensuring that chiefs and marshals have the same foundational training expected of other peace officers. The bill’s sponsor and cosponsors suggest broad legislative backing in the House. No opposition is documented in the provided materials, but the structure of the bill indicates a policy preference for training and accountability over local discretion in selecting untrained police leaders.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the restriction on local appointment authority: the bill would prevent a city, township, or village from permanently appointing a police chief or marshal who has not completed basic peace officer training. A related issue is the penalty structure, because local agencies could lose access to state training reimbursements and law enforcement grants if they do not fill vacancies or comply within the specified timeframe. Another possible concern is the interim-chief framework, which allows temporary appointments but bars those appointees from acting as peace officers or carrying weapons until certified, potentially limiting operational flexibility for smaller departments.