FAIRBORN — Ohio’s Office of Criminal Justice awarded certification/re-certification to six Ohio law enforcement agencies for state standards established by the Ohio Collaborative Community Police Advisory Board.

Wright State University Police Department was one that completed the process that takes place on a revolving, three to four-year cycle. According to state records, there are 606 certified agencies throughout Ohio that have met the initial standards.

“This was part of a re-certification, so we only met some of the standards initially,” said WSU Chief of Police Kurt Holden. “Later, there was an onsite assessment when the collaborative met with us. It took about six moths to a year but we passed everything with flying colors. I wanted to establish professional standards and be recognized for having the best proactives in regards to our policies.”

Thirty years ago, Wright State had a small security department that has now grown to 15 officers — all of whom have completed all state requirements to become a police officer.

WSU employs around 2,000 employees and services 10,000 students across 730 acres with 32 academic buildings.

“We have passed all our assessments, we want to show that we walk the walk and we’re always trying to improve,” said Holden, who is also the university’s director of public safety.

Statewide, 29,470 officers (representing more than 86.92 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 certification process. The Collaborative was formed in 2015 to create uniform minimum standards for Ohio’s law enforcement agencies.

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.

According to a state press release, the standards are the first of their kind in Ohio and were developed and established for 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 law enforcement agencies in a process to ensure that they are in compliance with Ohio’s standards.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office and the Xenia Police Division have both met certification standards from the collaborative and the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), which requires 483 standards to achieve accreditation.

Reach Karen Rase at 937-502-4534.