Ohio bill would let police chiefs hire lateral transfers without civil service exam and expand localized chief training

House Bill 44 would let municipal police chiefs directly appoint experienced lateral transfers without requiring a civil service competitive exam if the department shows the competitive element is unnecessary and the applicant demonstrates exceptional qualifications, sponsors told the Senate Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee.

The bill’s sponsors said the change would align statutory cities with charter cities that can already hire qualified officers immediately and would allow chiefs to run training schools for cadets aligned to Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy standards. "This bill aligns the same opportunity for statutory cities as charter cities in hiring law enforcement," a sponsor said…