Mary Frances McGowan: Ohio Overhauls Police Training with Focus on Modern Policing Skills

Ohio will implement the “most comprehensive” police training reform in decades with a new curriculum in July that emphasizes practical skills for today’s law enforcement, State Attorney General Dave Yost announced.

The updated Peace Officer Basic Training program will replace 72 hours of outdated coursework with training focused on critical modern policing needs, including active shooter response, crisis mitigation and de-escalation, and communication skills, Yost said Wednesday in a statement.

“We’re giving Ohio’s peace officers what they need to do their job — real-world tools and the training to handle the toughest calls,” Yost said. “This isn’t just reform — it’s a significant investment in the future of policing in Ohio.”

The attorney general’s office oversees the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission.

The changes stem from recommendations by a Blue-Ribbon Task Force on the Future of Police Training, which Yost commissioned in 2023. Training academies can begin implementing the new curriculum on July 1, with mandatory compliance required by January 1, 2026.

Currently, police cadets must complete at least 740 hours of training for certification. The task force determined some courses provided limited value to new officers’ basic education.

New training components include 44 hours of basic and interpersonal communications and mediation, 4 hours of incident debrief training, 8 hours of active shooter/threat response with duty to render aid, and 16 hours of critical decision-making, tactical breathing, crisis mitigation, and de-escalation.

The emphasis on communication and de-escalation reflects nationwide trends in police reform following high-profile incidents and community calls for improved officer-citizen interactions.

The reforms also address recruitment challenges through modified physical fitness standards. While entry requirements remain unchanged, cadets can now graduate by passing two of three fitness components (sit-ups, push-ups, 1.5-mile run) if they achieve at least 75% progress in the third area.

This fitness standard modification, implemented in May 2024, has already enabled 91 additional cadets to graduate who would have been disqualified under previous requirements.

“Updating Ohio’s standards ensures we align with today’s job demands—allowing us to strengthen the force, better reflect our communities, and increase the number of qualified officers on the streets without compromising integrity or readiness,” Yost said.

Mary Frances McGowan is a political reporter for Cleveland.com. Prior to joining the team in 2025, McGowan was most recently a staff correspondent at National Journal, where she covered political campaigns for all 50 U.S. governors, state legislatures, and state legislative policy. She has also worked for NBC News, both as Tim Russert Fellow for the public affairs program Meet the Press, and as a researcher for the Washington bureau. McGowan has also been published by the University of Virginia Center for Politics as a contributor to their books detailing the 2020, 2022 and 2024 elections. She is a proud graduate of John Carroll University, where she studied political science and journalism.