The City of Hilliard Division of Police has been awarded its recertification for state standards established by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board as part of the state’s efforts to strengthen community and police relations.
Hilliard police received its initial certification in 2020. In 2023, HPD completed its recertification process, which occurs on a revolving three- to four-year cycle.
Chief of Police Michael Woods said he is pleased the agency has earned the recertification, which acknowledges that HPD’s policies and practices continue to be in line with recognized leading standards for law enforcement organizations.
“Hilliard’s policies are not only in line with the state’s minimum requirements, in most cases they exceed them,” Chief Woods said. “This recertification is a testament to this Division’s efforts in having the best policies in public safety.”
The Collaborative was formed in 2015 to create uniform minimum standards for Ohio’s law enforcement agencies. The first two standards were developed by the Collaborative in 2015 to improve the trust between citizens and law enforcement officers.
Standards established by the Collaborative address community engagement, bias-free policing, body-worn cameras, vehicular pursuits, telecommunicator training, employee misconduct, mass protests, agency wellness, interaction with minors, and interaction with people in crisis.
There are 607 agencies throughout Ohio that have met the initial standards. Additionally, 29,475 officers (representing more than 88 percent of all law enforcement officers in Ohio) are employed by an agency that is involved in some form of the certification process.
The state has partnered with the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police to help certify Ohio’s nearly 900 law enforcement agencies on a process to ensure that they are in compliance with Ohio’s new standards.
More information on the Ohio Collaborative can be found at: http://www.ocjs.ohio.gov/ohiocollaborative/.
