• How we are doing this: Reporter London Bishop is attending the Sinclair Community College police academy, a six-month course that many area police departments use to train cadets. There, she is gaining first-hand experience of what training cadets receive, and telling the stories of the current class of cadets and what motivates them to be cops.
• Why we are doing this: Our community needs professional, well-trained, accountable law enforcement. We need people to want to be cops, and we need to make sure they are supported with the proper training to do the job in the way the community demands.
• Key finding: Ohio currently requires more training to become a barber than to become a police officer. This story looks at the status of reform efforts being discussed.
• Read the story: Go here for the project launch story, where London introduces you to some of the cadets and what motivates them, as well as looks at the recent history of police training reforms and the relationship between cops and the community.
• Training hard: What does physical training look like at the police academy? London has that story as well.
• More to come: Future stories in this project publishing soon include how cadets are trained to handle human trafficking and domestic violence calls, an analysis of use of force by area departments and how and when cadets are trained to use force. Follow me on X or follow Dayton Daily News Investigates on Facebook for the latest.
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