COLUMBUS — The Office of Criminal Justice Services announced on Wednesday, Aug. 2, the certification of the West Alexandria Police Department for state standards established by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board.

WAPD has adopted and implemented the initial two standards regarding use of force and hiring and recruitment.

Overall, there are 615 certified agencies throughout Ohio that have met the initial standards. Additionally, 29,550 officers (representing 88.06 percent of all law enforcement officers in Ohio, including most of Ohio’s metropolitan areas) are employed by an agency that is involved in some form of the certification process.

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.

Additional 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. The standards are the first of their kind in Ohio and were developed and established by the Collaborative as part of the state’s efforts to strengthen community and police relations.

The state has partnered with the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police to help certify Ohio’s 900-plus law enforcement agencies on a process to ensure that they are in compliance with Ohio’s standards.