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House Bill 44 would let statutory cities hire lateral officers and run cadet schools without civil service exams, sponsors say
Summary
Sponsors told the committee that House Bill 44 would let municipal police chiefs in statutory cities hire qualified lateral officers without the civil service exam and run cadet training aligned to state academy standards.
Representatives Joe Miller and Kevin Miller (co‑sponsors) told the House Public Safety Committee that House Bill 44 would permit police chiefs in statutory cities to fill vacant officer positions without the usual civil service exam if a department can show the competitive component is unnecessary and the applicant has exceptional qualifications.
Sponsors said the change would align statutory cities with charter cities that already have similar authority, speed hiring of lateral transfers, reduce months‑long delays and allow chiefs to run training programs for cadets meeting Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy standards. Representative Joe Miller said the bill is permissive and intended to speed placement of trained officers without altering promotion processes for sergeants or lieutenants.
Committee members repeatedly asked how the bill would protect communities from “bad actors.” Representative Brewer raised concerns about officers with problematic records moving between jurisdictions; sponsors said background checks and employer checks are common practice and most departments conduct them. Members also asked whether particular positions would be exempt and whether cadet programs and promotion processes were affected; sponsors said the effort targets entry‑level and lateral officer hiring, not promotion ranks.
Representatives and members noted the bill had passed a committee and the House unanimously in the prior General Assembly and that sponsors were prepared to answer technical questions about implementation and bid details for cadet programs. Ranking Member Thomas, who represents a charter city, supported equalizing statutory cities and said a cadet program is valuable for recruitment.
No formal votes were taken; sponsors said they would continue to work with committee members on language about background checks and implementation.
Ending
Sponsors asked the committee for further technical feedback and said the bill's goal is to help police departments recruit and quickly place qualified, trained officers into service without lengthy civil service delays.
