Pickaway-Ross Adult Education and Ohio University Chillicothe partner to offer Basic Peace Officer Academy

A Basic Peace Officer Training, offered through a partnership between Ohio University Chillicothe and Pickaway-Ross Adult Education, will provide training for people interested in becoming law enforcement officers. The Basic Peace Officer Academy will begin March 6.

“As a graduate of the Southern Ohio Police Training Institute at Ohio University Chillicothe, I am excited to see a local academy back in Ross County,” said Ronald Meyers, Chillicothe’s chief of police. 

Ross County Sheriff George W. Lavender Jr. said the academy will also save southern Ohio departments the costs associated with traveling to an out-of-town facility for training. 

Cadets must meet all requirements set forth by Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission (OPOTC) to enroll, graduate, qualify for the state certification exam and, ultimately, become certified as a peace officer in Ohio. The academy is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education. 

“Our goal for cadets is to provide the best foundation training we can for aspiring peace officers to become certified, enter the workforce, and safely protect and serve citizens of our communities with our area law enforcement agencies,” said Terri Mikesh, Law Enforcement programming coordinator and OPOTC school commander. 

Pickaway County Sheriff Matthew Hafey said the Basic Peace Officer Training would benefit local people who want to attend a police academy and help meet the demand for certified and trained officers. 

“We are unable to hire anyone for a road position who does not possess a peace officer certificate from OPOTC,” he said. “We can hire them to the jail as a corrections officer, but that limits their ability to further develop in their career.” 

The Basic Peace Officer Academy will begin March 6, with a mandatory orientation session from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. March 2 at 1410 Industrial Drive, Chillicothe. 

Applicants should contact Debbie Schiff at debbie.schiff@pickawayross.com or 740-642-1284 or School Commander Terri Mikessh at terri.mikesh@pickawayross.com or 740-642-1384.