Any time an officer is deploying their firearm in the line of duty, it is a deadly force situation to defend their life or the life of another person. Deadly force can only be used in two specific areas: to protect themselves or others from death or serious harm; or an officer may use deadly force to stop a fleeing subject when the officer has probable cause that the person either has or intends to commit a felony involving the infliction or threat of infliction of serious bodily injury or death and the officer reasonably believes that there is an imminent risk of serious bodily injury or death to another person. In the situation of a fleeing subject, the Oakwood Public Safety Department should give a verbal warning to a fleeing subject before the use of deadly force, where and when feasible.

Any officer present and observing another officer using force that is clearly beyond that which is objectively reasonable under the circumstances shall, when in a position to do so, intercede to prevent the use of unreasonable force. An officer who observes another employee use force that exceeds the degree of force permitted by law should promptly report the observations to a supervisor.

The Oakwood Public Safety Department prohibits the discharging of a firearm at or from a moving motor vehicle unless the officer reasonably believes that such an action is in defense of human life. This includes the officer's own life or in defense of any person who is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury.

The Oakwood Public Safety Department follows the Action – Response Use of Force Continuum, and officers use the continuum as a guideline whenever force is used. Chief Hill displayed a diagram of the Action – Response Continuum.

Any use of force by a member of the Oakwood Public Safety Department is documented promptly, completely and accurately. Officers must complete an ALERT report and a Use of Deadly / Physical Force Report. The officer articulates the factors perceived and why he/she believed the use of force was reasonable under the circumstances. To collect data for purposes of training, resource allocation, analysis and related purposes, the department may require the completion of additional report forms, as specified in department policy, procedure or law. The data is analyzed annually to identify any trends or training needs across the department. Chief Hill stated that the low number of use of force incidents from the Oakwood Public Safety Department is attributed to the professionalism of the officers.

The Ohio Collaborative Community – Police Advisory Board (Ohio Collaborative) was established in December 2014. The Board was created to oversee implementation of recommendations for statewide policing standards in a variety of areas. Although voluntary, the Ohio Collaborative certification process provides for an independent review of a police agency to demonstrate transparency, modern methods and standards, and open critique and feedback from assessors. In 2016, the Oakwood Public Safety Department received its initial certification for the Use of Force/Recruitment and Hiring Group 1 standards, which were the only two standards to demonstrate compliance in at that time. The Ohio Collaborative panel has since published Group 2 Standards and Group 3 Standards, for which the Oakwood Public Safety Department has received certification. Chief Hill noted that the department is currently working on submitting documentation to become certified in Group 4 Standards even though this certification is not required until recertification.

Mayor Duncan asked if the Oakwood Public Safety Department followed the standards before they were required.

Chief Hill responded yes. He explained that these policies were already in place and the Oakwood Public Safety Department did not have to adopt new policies in order to get the standard certifications. Each standard has a compliance checklist that requires documentation to show how the department engages in these practices. The Oakwood Public Safety Department provided documentation to receive certification.

In September 2020, the Oakwood Public Safety Department will host its third Citizen Police Academy (CPA). The CPA will run from September 9 through November 11. The academy will last 10 weeks and will meet one night per week for two hours. Topics to be covered during the academy include: Safety Department introduction/orientation; patrol operations; traffic enforcement; use of force; active shooter training; evidence collection and processing; and fire prevention/education. The CPA is free of charge and is open to any Oakwood resident or individual working within the city of Oakwood. Due to COVID-19, class size will be limited to eight participants for social distancing purposes. Applications may be submitted for the CPA beginning on Thursday, July 23.

Mayor Duncan asked if Chief Hill's presentation will be available to view from the City's website.