The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) has received a $280,000 federal grant to fund law enforcement training on identifying impaired drivers and investigating traffic collisions.
Funds from the Traffic Safety and Impaired Driving Training Grant will be used to reimburse the cost of tuition for Ohio law enforcement officers who attend the following OPOTA courses:
- Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) helps officers identify alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers.
- Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) Instructor certifies participants to instruct courses on field-sobriety testing.
- Advanced Traffic Collision Investigation (Level II) covers advanced techniques for investigating traffic collisions, including measuring, mapping and analyzing vehicle behavior.
- Radar and Lidar Operator teaches participants to operate radar and lidar devices (which measure speed) and includes field exercises, mock trial preparation and courtroom testimony practice.
- Radar and Lidar Instructor trains participants to provide instruction on the operation of radar and lidar devices, as well as trial and courtroom-testimony preparation.
- Traffic Collision Investigation (Level I) covers techniques for investigating traffic collisions, including preparing field sketches and applying mathematical formulas to determine vehicle speed.
- Vehicle Dynamics (Level III) provides techniques and formulas for investigating traffic collisions, including instruction on vehicle systems, vehicle motion, hydroplaning and rollovers, as well as determining energy, speed and velocity.
The grant is funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and made available through the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Law enforcement officers may register for these and other OPOTA courses on the Ohio Attorney General’s Office (AGO) website, with full course descriptions and tuition information available here. OPOTA, which is part of the AGO, provides instruction on a variety of subjects for the Ohio law enforcement community using the latest research and industry best practices.
