Black Shield Police Association President Lynn Hampton believes moving Cleveland police cadet training to Columbus is unfair to minority candidates, and candidates with families.
Hampton told newsnet5.com shifting the training to Columbus has caused five candidates to withdraw before classes started in December and a total of nine others to drop out in first few weeks of the four-month course.
Hampton said the cadet must stay in Columbus for training more than five days a week, only coming home a day and half on the weekends, making it too big a hardship on minority candidates and candidates with families.
"It's really too hard and minorities and candidates with families," said Hampton. "Is it really a good fit? Is it the type of candidate that we're going to need here in the city with the reform?"
Hampton believes the Columbus training is outstanding, but said having it out of town will produce a higher drop-out rate and few minority police officers hitting the streets.
Cleveland Police Union President Steve Loomis backed up Hampton's assessment of the Columbus training.
But city leaders disagreed, telling newsnet5.com the drop-out rate isn't nearly as high as stated by the union, telling us only four cadets have dropped out, two of them for health reasons.
The city issued the following statement:
The Ohio State Police Academy is one of the premier training academy’s in the United States for police officers.
The attrition rate for this class is less than it has been for other academy classes when the training is held here in Cleveland.
Our aim is to provide the best qualified officers for the Cleveland Division of Police.
John Born, the Director of Public Safety for the State of Ohio spoke to Director McGrath this week and told him that this class of Cadets from Cleveland is one of the best classes they have had the opportunity to train at their Academy in Columbus.
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