Part ofLaw Enforcement →

The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.

HB 44OHIOSession 136State BillSigned into law

Enacted

Ohio allows police departments to run prospective officer training schools and hire graduates directly

Original title: Regards law enforcement training and competitive examinations

Last action · February 4, 2026: EffectiveSponsors: Joseph A. Miller, III and 59 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

What This Bill Does

Ohio law now allows municipal police chiefs to establish training schools for prospective law enforcement officers, hire graduates directly upon meeting state standards, and exempt those trainees from the classified civil service. The legislation also establishes a 40-hour mandatory training course for newly appointed chiefs of police and authorizes advanced training courses for officers at or above the rank of sergeant.

Why it matters

Law enforcement agencies gain a direct pipeline to recruit and hire trained officer candidates without standard competitive civil service examinations, while newly appointed police chiefs face strict deadlines and mandatory training requirements funded by the state and local budgets.

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Newly appointed chiefs of police

Must complete a 40-hour training course within six months of appointment and may request specific equivalency exemptions.

Directly affected

Prospective law enforcement officers

May participate in municipal police training schools and be hired directly upon graduation and meeting state requirements.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can municipal police departments now operate their own training schools?

Yes. The chief of police of a municipal corporation may conduct training schools for prospective law enforcement officers, provided the programs align with state academy standards and cadet qualifications.

What training requirements apply to newly appointed chiefs of police?

Newly appointed chiefs of police must complete a 40-hour chief of police training course conducted by the Ohio peace officer training commission not later than six months after their appointment.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

11 actions

Feb 4, 2026Enrolled
Effective
Nov 5, 2025Enrolled
Signed By The Governor
Oct 28, 2025Enrolled
Sent To The Governor
Oct 22, 2025SenateFloor
Passed
Jun 25, 2025SenateCommittee
Reported (Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety)
May 28, 2025SenateCommittee
Referred to Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety

Show 5 earlier actions

May 22, 2025SenateIntroduced
Introduced
May 21, 2025HouseFloor
Passed
May 14, 2025HouseCommittee
Reported - Substitute (Public Safety)
Feb 5, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to Public Safety
Feb 3, 2025HouseIntroduced
Introduced

Version history & redline

6 versions on file

Comparing As Passed by the Senate → As Enrolled

removed addedOfficial text

hb44_04_PS As Passed by the Senate 136th General Assembly Regular Session Sub. H. B. No. 44 2025-2026 Representatives Miller, J., Miller, K. Cosponsors: Representatives Abrams, Willis, Barhorst, Brennan, Brownlee, Creech, Deeter, Fischer, Ghanbari, Glassburn, Grim, Hall, D., Holmes, Jarrells, Johnson, Jones, Lampton, LaRe, Lett, Lorenz, Mathews, A., Mathews, T., Mohamed, Mullins, Newman, Plummer, Richardson, Robb Blasdel, Roemer, Russo, Salvo, Schmidt, Sigrist, Synenberg, Thomas, C., Upchurch, Williams, Young Senators Johnson, Antonio, Blackshear, Chavez, Cirino, Craig, DeMora, Gavarone, Hicks-Hudson, Ingram, Lang, Manning, O'Brien, Patton, Reineke, Roegner, Schaffer, Timken, Weinstein, Wilson To amend sections 109.804, 124.11, and 124.30 and to enact sections 109.791 and 737.061 of the Revised Code regarding training schools for prospective law enforcement officers, filling a vacant police department position without a competitive examination, requirements for chief of police training, and advanced training for officers at or above the rank of sergeant. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO: Section 1. That sections 109.804, 124.11, and 124.30 be amended and sections 109.791 and 737.061 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows: Sec. 109.791. The Ohio peace officer training commission may establish and conduct police officer training courses in addition to those specified in section 109.79 of the Revised Code to be offered to a law enforcement officer at or above the rank of sergeant. Sec. 109.804. (A)(1) The Ohio peace officer training commission shall develop and conduct provide a chief of police training course lasting forty hours for newly appointed chiefs of police appointed on or after January 1, 2018. The commission shall determine the course topics, which shall include diversity training with an emphasis on historical perspectives and community-police relations, and shall establish criteria for what constitutes 25,350 more removed characters - read the previous versionhb44_05_EN (136th General Assembly) (Substitute House Bill Number 44) AN ACT To amend sections 109.804, 124.11, and 124.30 and to enact sections 109.791 and 737.061 of the Revised Code regarding training schools for prospective law enforcement officers, filling a vacant police department position without a competitive examination, requirements for chief of police training, and advanced training for officers at or above the rank of sergeant. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio: Section 1. That sections 109.804, 124.11, and 124.30 be amended and sections 109.791 and 737.061 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows: Sec. 109.791. The Ohio peace officer training commission may establish and conduct police officer training courses in addition to those specified in section 109.79 of the Revised Code to be offered to a law enforcement officer at or above the rank of sergeant. Sec. 109.804. (A)(1) The Ohio peace officer training commission shall develop and conduct provide a chief of police training course lasting forty hours for newly appointed chiefs of police appointed on or after January 1, 2018. The commission shall determine the course topics, which shall include diversity training with an emphasis on historical perspectives and community-police relations, and shall establish criteria for what constitutes successful completion of the course. The commission shall conduct the course at the Ohio peace officer training academy locations determined by the commission and in a manner prescribed by the commission. The commission shall offer the course at least semiannually. (2) The executive director of the commission shall issue a certificate of completion of a training program required under this section in accordance with Chapter 4796. of the Revised Code to a newly appointed chief of police if either of the following applies: (a) The person holds a certificate of completion of such a program in another state. (b) The person has 25,267 more added characters - read this version

Redline computed from the official version text (record lane).View this version →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Direct-Hire Training Pipeline

The legislation establishes a formal mechanism allowing municipal police departments to bypass traditional competitive civil service hiring barriers for graduates of their own approved training schools.

Ohio peace officer training commission

Connected Entities

Ohio peace officer training commission, General Assembly of the State of Ohio, Ohio peace officer training academy

OrganizationOhio peace officer training commission“Develops and conducts police officer training courses and chief of police traini”Map →

OrganizationGeneral Assembly of the State of Ohio“Enacting legislative body for the state of law.”Map →

OrganizationOhio peace officer training academy“Location where the chief of police training course is conducted.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legislature.ohio.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools