Licking Today

The Ohio House of Representatives has passed House Bill 241, which grants police departments the authority to fill vacant positions without a competitive examination, according to State Representative Kevin Miller (R-Newark), the sponsor of the bill.

The new legislation enables police departments to fill civil service vacancies without conducting an exam if they can provide evidence that the competitive component of the exams is unnecessary and the applicant possesses exceptional qualifications.

Representative Miller explained the rationale behind the bill, stating, "Under the current civil service process, there is a significant amount of time required to post the position, schedule a test, and wait for results. However, in Ohio, charter cities have the advantage of immediately hiring qualified officers without going through this process."

The primary aim of the legislation is to expedite the hiring process and ensure that police departments can swiftly bring in well-trained officers. Representative Miller emphasized that filling vacancies with experienced officers would help avoid the wastage of time and resources.

"The goal of this legislation is to help the police force work more effectively for community members and get well-trained officers out into the field," added Representative Miller.

The bill has now been forwarded to the Ohio Senate for further deliberation and consideration.

For additional details, please follow this link: https://ohiohouse.gov/members/kevin-d-miller/news/ohio-house-passes-legislation-regarding-police-department-vacancies-117754