Objectively Reasonable

Can a Person Being Pink Slipped Be Arrested for Obstructing Official Business and Resisting Arrest? Case was issued by the Supreme Court of Ohio on October 21, 2026. State v. Dowell establishes an important statewide rule: an independently illegal act is not required to support a charge of Obstructing Official Business [OOB]. Even during pink slipping, a person’s voluntary, unprivileged affirmative conduct may constitute OOB when the remaining statutory elements are satisfied. However, officers must distinguish passive noncompliance from affirmative obstruction, recognize that a mental-health detention is not itself a criminal arrest and establish an independent lawful basis before charging resisting arrest. objectivelyreasonable.com/20…

I was honored to present Legal Leadership to the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police First Line Supervisor class hosted by Maumee Police. Making THE #HardestJobInAmerica ... easier. So nice to connect with officers and sergeants from throughout the state. A young officer from Maumee Police received the Objectively Reasonable challenge coin for his participation. A teammate from Whitehouse Police purchased two books which were quickly personalized. Look forward to connecting with more teammates in Ohio soon. Stay safe, smart and Objectively Reasonable! #GavelTravels #Police #Law

Today, I was honored to present Legal Leadership to host Toledo Police. The class consisted of officers who are soon-to-be sergeants, sergeants and lieutenants. Making THE #HardestJobInAmerica ... easier. The transition from police officer to supervisor is one of the most important—and challenging—steps in a law enforcement career. Yesterday, you were responsible primarily for your own decisions. Today, as a leader, you are responsible for your decisions AND helping your teammates make legally sound decisions. A leaders decisions can affect officer safety, criminal prosecutions, civil liability, careers and the public's trust. That is why legal leadership matters. Today's evaluations were incredibly kind: 𝐵𝑒𝑠𝑡+𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐼’𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑑. 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙, 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑑𝑟𝑦, 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝑊𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑜 𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝐷𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝐸𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐵𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐵𝑜𝑏 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘! 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑/𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑖-𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦. 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑖𝑓 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒. One of the most important lessons I emphasize during Legal Leadership training is that wearing stripes or bars does not automatically make someone a leader. Leadership requires preparation, sound judgment, accountability and the willingness to make difficult decisions when the circumstances demand it. Leaders must understand not only WHAT the law permits, but WHY it permits it. They must recognize potential legal problems BEFORE those problems become lawsuits, suppressed evidence, disciplinary investigations or threats to officer safety. And perhaps most importantly, they must be willing to teach, mentor and protect the officers entrusted to their leadership. A legally confident supervisor helps develop legally confident officers. Legally confident officers make better decisions. Better decisions help officers stay safe, protect their careers, and serve their communities. To the soon-to-be sergeants in today's class: Congratulations on taking the next step in your careers! Remember, your greatest responsibility is not simply managing your teammates. It is helping them succeed and return home safely. Thank you to the Toledo Police Department for hosting today's training and investing in the development of its current and future leaders. It was a privilege to serve your team! Upcoming CPT approved classes Upcoming Legal Update Training: Patrol Legal Update - November 9 - Elyria - SOLD OUT! Canine Legal Update - November 17 - Avon SOLD OUT! Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - November 30 - Medina County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Portage County [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Drone Legal Update - December 4 - Tiffin *Drone legal update training is both CPT and CLE approved for Ohio attorneys. objectivelyreasonable.com/se… Scheduling classes for the second half of 2027 and the first six months are booked. #GavelTravels #Police #Law In class today was Lt. Ken Krabill who arrested a suspect with a magnetic box affixed to his rental car that contained cocaine and fentanyl. The articles posted one year ago, so he earned a complimentary book. Officer Steve was one of the youngest in class and was subject to several 'cross examinations' in class. He earned an Objectively Reasonable coin.

Today, I was honored to present a Legal Update to the Ohio Tactical Officers Association [OTOA] Leaders class. Making THE #HardestJobInAmerica ... easier. Tactical leadership requires more than understanding tactics. It requires understanding the law that governs the decisions officers make before, during, and after critical incidents. The legal principles governing SWAT operations are often the same principles that govern everyday patrol operations. What changes is the complexity, urgency, and risk associated with the circumstances. And when officers are making decisions under pressure, legal confidence matters! Today's evaluations were incredibly kind: 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑆𝑊𝐴𝑇 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑙. 𝐼𝑡 𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑒 𝑎 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑. 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑥 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑖𝑡 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝐵𝑜𝑏 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑛. But one evaluation particularly stood out: 𝐼’𝑚 𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑢𝑦𝑠 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒. 𝐼 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝𝑠 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡. That is the goal! Legal confidence begins with understanding the fundamentals. For law enforcement leaders, the responsibility extends beyond their own decisions. They must develop officers who understand their legal authority, recognize the limitations of that authority, and can apply the law during rapidly evolving situations. Knowing the law is important. Teaching your teammates WHY the law permits certain actions is leadership. Thank you to the Ohio Tactical Officers Association for the opportunity to serve its leaders and to everyone who participated in today's training. Thank you, team! Upcoming CPT approved classes Upcoming Legal Update Training: Patrol Legal Update - November 9 - Elyria - SOLD OUT! Canine Legal Update - November 17 - Avon SOLD OUT! Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - November 30 - Medina County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Portage County [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Drone Legal Update - December 4 - Tiffin *Drone legal update training is both CPT and CLE approved for Ohio attorneys. objectivelyreasonable.com/se… Scheduling classes for the second half of 2027 and the first six months are booked. #GavelTravels #Police #Law

Does Deviation from a Tactical Plan Constitute a Fourth Amendment Violation? U.S. v. Goddard distinguished tactical operational plans from constitutional requirements. A SWAT team’s deviation from the an operational plan does not establish that the warrant execution was unconstitutional. A must read for SWAT Team members and leaders. #Police #Law #HardestJobInAmerica objectivelyreasonable.com/20…

Today, @ChiefShughes and I were honored to present Legally Confident - Tactically Confident to host Tuscarawas County SO and many other local agencies. Making THE #HardestJobInAmerica ... easier. Two instructors. Two perspectives. One mission. Helping officers become Legally Confident AND Tactically Confident. Today's evaluations were incredibly kind: 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑃ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔! 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝐼𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑜. 𝑊𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑛. 𝑊𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑡𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐵𝑜𝑏. 𝐴 𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑎 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. 𝑊𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠. But one evaluation particularly stood out: 𝐼’𝑚 𝑎 26 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑣𝑒𝑡, 𝑤ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙 𝑂𝐼𝑆’𝑠, 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑎 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑣𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡. Thank you team! Twenty-six years of experience. Multiple officer-involved shootings. And still recognizing the importance of training and vigilance. That is a powerful reminder for every law enforcement officer, regardless of rank or experience. Experience is invaluable but experience alone does not eliminate risk. The law changes. Tactics evolve. Complacency can develop. And the next call may present circumstances that even the most experienced officer has never encountered. That is why Chief Hughes and I believe legal confidence and tactical confidence must work together. Knowing WHAT the law permits is essential. Knowing HOW to safely and effectively apply that authority is equally important. We want officers to recognize threats, understand their legal authority, make sound decisions under pressure and return home safely at the end of their shifts. Whether you have been on the job for 26 days or 26 years, there is always something more to learn. Thank you to the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office, most especially Sheriff Orvis Campbell for hosting today's training and to the many agencies that invested in their officers by sending them. And thank you to Chief Hughes for his partnership, experience, and commitment to making law enforcement safer. Upcoming CPT approved classes Upcoming Legal Update Training: Patrol Legal Update - November 9 - Elyria - SOLD OUT! Canine Legal Update - November 17 - Avon SOLD OUT! Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - November 30 - Medina County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Portage County [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Drone Legal Update - December 4 - Tiffin *Drone legal update training is both CPT and CLE approved for Ohio attorneys. objectivelyreasonable.com/se…

Can a Person Legally Possess a Firearm but Still be Prohibited from Carrying the Firearm Concealed? State v. Craig provides a review of carrying a firearm under the Second Amendment and as a Qualified Adult under Ohio’s CCW law. #HardestJobInAmerica #Police #Law objectivelyreasonable.com/20…

Today, I was honored to present Drone Legal Update training, hosted by Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security and held at the Columbus Police Academy. Making THE #HardestJobInAmerica ... easier. Drone technology is advancing rapidly. But knowing how to operate a drone and understanding when, where, and how it can legally be deployed are two very different skills. FAA regulations, the Fourth Amendment, Ohio law, and rapidly evolving drone technology create legal challenges for public safety agencies. A drone pilot must be technically proficient AND legally confident. Today's evaluations reinforced the importance of that distinction: 𝐵𝑜𝑏 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑡, 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑦, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑗𝑜𝑏𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦. 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑟, 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑐 𝑖𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑔𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑑. 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 107 𝑃𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐼 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦’𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦. But one evaluation particularly captured WHY legal training matters: 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑡. 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠𝑛’𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑟. That is exactly the goal! When a drone is needed during a rapidly evolving incident, the time to begin researching legal authority is NOT when the pilot is preparing for takeoff. Public safety drone operators should understand their legal authority BEFORE the emergency occurs. Can we legally deploy the drone? Can we fly over private property? When does aerial observation become a Fourth Amendment search? What restrictions apply under FAA regulations and Ohio law? These are questions that public safety professionals should be prepared to answer before the next mission. Thank you to Franklin County EMA for hosting, Columbus Police for providing the training facility, and every officer and public safety professional who invested a day in becoming and remaining Objectively Reasonable. Upcoming CPT approved classes Upcoming Legal Update Training: Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Tuscarawas County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Patrol Legal Update - November 9 - Elyria - SOLD OUT! Canine Legal Update - November 17 - Avon Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - November 30 - Medina County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Portage County [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Drone Legal Update - December 4 - Tiffin *Drone legal update training is both CPT and CLE approved for Ohio attorneys. objectivelyreasonable.com/se…

When Can a Suspect’s Refusal to Identify Himself Turn a Citation Into an Arrestable Offense? State v. Lynch is important because it gives Ohio law enforcement officers practical guidance on three recurring legal challenges: 1) Identifying a person during a minor-misdemeanor encounter. 2) Determining when a minor misdemeanor becomes an arrestable offense. 3) Determining whether an arrest is lawful when the officer announces a different offense at the scene. #HardestJobInAmerica #Police #Law objectivelyreasonable.com/20…

Today, I had the opportunity to present @NSAOhio Communication Mastery Conference, helping professionals improve their speaking skills. The class was CPT certified and law enforcement professionals from throughout the state attended; Bexley, Bowling Green, Columbus Police, host Hamilton Twp., New Albany, Tiffin and Wadsworth. Thank you ALL for attending! Making THE #HardestJobInAmerica ... easier. #GavelTravels

This evening, I was honored to present Legal Updates to Groveport and Madison Township Police. Making THE #HardestJobInAmerica ... easier. Today was about more than case law. It was about developing the next generation of law enforcement officers, reconnecting with longtime teammates, and continuing to build legal confidence throughout our profession. The evaluations were incredibly kind: 𝐵𝑜𝑏 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟. 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑦𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒. 𝑀𝑟. 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒. 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑒𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠. 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠. 𝐵𝑜𝑏, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑑𝑜 𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑗𝑜𝑏 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑑, 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑖𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑. 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝐵𝑜𝑏 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘. 𝐻𝑒 𝑖𝑠 1 𝑖𝑛 1 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑛! 𝐸𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠. 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑐𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔. Thank you team! Thank you, team! Two moments made today's training especially meaningful. First, I had the opportunity to present my Objectively Reasonable challenge coin to a rookie officer who spent much of the class answering my questions and working through real-world legal scenarios. I challenged him repeatedly—and he accepted the challenge! Why? Because our newest officers deserve more than simply being told what they can and cannot do. They deserve to understand WHY the law permits certain actions and how to apply that knowledge when making decisions in real time. Every experienced officer, supervisor and chief has a responsibility to welcome, encourage, challenge and mentor the next generation of law enforcement. We were all rookies once. Someone invested in us. Now it is our turn. Welcome to THE #HardestJobInAmerica, Officer! Second, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with Groveport Police Chief Mark McDonough. I first met Chief McDonough when he served as Chief of Police in Sidney, Ohio. He trusted me to provide legal training to his officers there, and today I was honored to continue that relationship with his team in Groveport. Chief, thank you for your continued trust and commitment to providing your officers with current, practical legal training. Relationships like these are one of the most rewarding parts of traveling throughout Ohio. Thank you to Groveport Police, Madison Township Police, and every officer who participated today! Upcoming CPT approved classes Upcoming Legal Update Training: Drone Legal Update - October 19 - Franklin County EMA SOLD OUT! Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Tuscarawas County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Patrol Legal Update - November 9 - Elyria - SOLD OUT! Canine Legal Update - November 17 - Avon Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - November 30 - Medina County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Portage County [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Drone Legal Update - December 4 - Tiffin *Drone legal update training is both CPT and CLE approved for Ohio attorneys. objectivelyreasonable.com/se…

Can a Murderer Challenge Cell-Phone Searches After Denying the Phones Are His Own? State v. Wooden is important because it demonstrates how electronic evidence can connect a suspect to a victim, crime scene and residence, even when the phones are registered to other people. The case reminds officers to determine and document who owns, possesses or controls an electronic device because a suspect who disclaims any interest in it may be unable to establish a reasonable expectation of privacy and challenge its search. @ColumbusPolice Det. Earl Westfall and the Franklin County Prosecutors Office should be highly commended on their work on this case. Well done! #HardestJobInAmerica #Police #Law objectivelyreasonable.com/20…

Today, I was honored to present Patrol Legal Updates, hosted by Bowling Green Police and attended by law enforcement officers from agencies throughout Ohio—including several deputies who traveled all the way from Perry County! Making THE #HardestJobInAmerica ... easier. Today’s class was approved for both Ohio Peace Officer Continuing Professional Training (CPT) and Continuing Legal Education (CLE). We even had two Bowling Green prosecutors in attendance! I especially appreciate having prosecutors in the classroom. Officers and prosecutors share an important responsibility: understanding the law, applying it correctly, and ensuring that the decisions made on the street can withstand scrutiny in the courtroom. The evaluations were incredibly kind: 𝐵𝑜𝑏 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒. 𝐻𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑑𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙. 𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑥𝑡 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝐵𝑜𝑏. 𝐴𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑡. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐵𝑜𝑏𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑓𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑙𝑦 𝑟𝑒ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑑. 𝐸𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙.𝐻𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑙𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑒𝑑. 𝐵𝑜𝑏 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑠𝑒. 𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑒ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑢𝑝𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑. 𝐻𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑙𝑦. 𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 100% 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝐵𝑜𝑏 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 “𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠.” But one evaluation captured exactly WHY I travel throughout Ohio teaching legal updates: 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠. 𝑉𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑢𝑝 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑑𝑜. That is the mission. Officers should never have to rely solely on what someone told them years ago, what has always been done, or what they think the law allows. They deserve to KNOW what the law permits, understand WHY it permits it, and have the confidence to apply it correctly when the next call comes. And today brought a particularly meaningful moment. Three years ago, I wrote an article about a Findlay Police officer whose actions demonstrated what it means to be Objectively Reasonable. That same officer, pictured here, attended today's class! It was a pleasure to reconnect with him, recognize his professionalism, and present him with a copy of my newest 2026 Objectively Reasonable book. These are the moments that make traveling throughout Ohio so rewarding. Thank you to Bowling Green Police for hosting, to the prosecutors who joined us, and to every officer who invested a day in becoming more legally confident. Thank you, team! Upcoming CPT approved classes Upcoming Legal Update Training: Drone Legal Update - October 19 - Franklin County EMA SOLD OUT! Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Tuscarawas County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Patrol Legal Update - November 9 - Elyria - SOLD OUT! Canine Legal Update - November 17 - Avon Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - November 30 - Medina County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Portage County [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Drone Legal Update - December 4 - Tiffin *Drone legal update training is both CPT and CLE approved for Ohio attorneys. objectivelyreasonable.com/se…

Can an Anonymous Tip Lead to a Lawful Traffic Stop and Vehicle Search? State v. Jordan is important because it brings together four significant legal doctrines that officers routinely encounter during traffic stops and drug investigations. 1. Anonymous Tips 2. Pre-Textual Stops 3. Vehicle Search 4. Constructive Possession #HardestJobInAmerica #Police #Law objectivelyreasonable.com/20…

Today, I was honored to present Legal Updates to OPOTA’s New Chiefs Training and a room filled with Ohio’s newest police chiefs. New title. New responsibilities. New challenges. And now, responsibility for the legal decisions, training, development, and safety of an entire organization. Making THE #HardestJobInAmerica ... easier. One evaluation captured the challenge facing today’s police leaders: Evaluation excerpts: 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑒𝑦𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑢𝑝 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑀𝑟. 𝑀𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑒𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡. The law does not stand still. New cases are decided. Statutes change. Courts clarify constitutional standards. And the decisions made by officers on the street can quickly become decisions that chiefs must explain to prosecutors, city officials, the community—and sometimes a federal court. That makes current legal training a leadership issue. Another new chief wrote: 𝑂𝑢𝑡𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑈𝑠𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑡𝑜 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒. That may be my favorite evaluation of the day. Legal confidence is not simply about avoiding lawsuits or suppressing evidence. When officers understand their authority, they can make decisions more confidently, communicate more effectively, and concentrate on safely accomplishing the mission. Other evaluations were equally kind: 𝐴𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒/ 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝐼 𝑠𝑒𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑠ℎ. 𝐼𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑟. 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔. And one made my author side smile: 𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘. 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡! 𝐺𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. Thank you, team! And congratulations to Ohio’s newest police chiefs. Leadership provides an extraordinary opportunity and responsibility to invest in your officers, develop the next generation, and build organizations where officers can be Safe, Smart and Objectively Reasonable. Upcoming CPT approved classes Upcoming Legal Update Training: Patrol Legal Update - October 12 - Bowling Green Drone Legal Update - October 19 - Franklin County EMA SOLD OUT! Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Tuscarawas County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Patrol Legal Update - November 9 - Elyria - SOLD OUT! Canine Legal Update - November 17 - Avon Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - November 30 - Medina County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Portage County [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Drone Legal Update - December 4 - Tiffin Patrol Legal Update - December 8 - Defiance *Drone legal update training is both CPT and CLE approved for Ohio attorneys. objectivelyreasonable.com/se… #Police #Law #GavelTravels

Can a Police Officer Lawfully Stop a Vehicle Outside of the Officer’s Territorial Jurisdiction for Interfering with a Traffic Stop? State v. Sexton provides reassurance that an objectively reasonable response to a developing public-safety situation will not necessarily become unconstitutional merely because it crosses a municipal or township boundary. #HardestJobInAmerica #Police #Law objectivelyreasonable.com/20…

Today, I was honored to present Patrol Legal Updates, hosted by Delaware Police and attended by law enforcement professionals from agencies throughout Delaware County. Making THE #HardestJobInAmerica ... easier. Legal training has to go beyond simply knowing what a court decided. The real question is: What does that decision mean for the officer handling the next traffic stop, domestic dispute, suspicious person, search, arrest, or rapidly evolving call? Today’s evaluations reinforced the importance of connecting case law to real-world policing: 𝐴 𝑤𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑦 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑙𝑦 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑦 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑎𝑦 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑙 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟. 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑗𝑜𝑏, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑢𝑟𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒-𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑜 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛. 𝐷𝑖𝑑 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑡 𝑘𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒’𝑠 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝑊𝑎𝑠 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑. 𝐴𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑏𝑦 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐵𝑊𝐶 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟𝑠 That is the goal. Read the case. Understand the law. Then put officers into realistic situations where they have to decide: What do I know? What can I legally do? What should I do next? Two other evaluations captured the value of that approach: 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑑𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔. 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐵𝑜𝑏 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑎 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟. Thank you team! And thank you to Delaware Police for hosting today’s training and to the agencies throughout Delaware County that invested in their officers by sending them. The objective is not simply to know more case law when the class ends. The objective is to make better decisions when the next call begins. Upcoming CPT approved classes Upcoming Legal Update Training: Patrol Legal Update - October 12 - Bowling Green Drone Legal Update - October 19 - Franklin County EMA SOLD OUT! Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Tuscarawas County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Patrol Legal Update - November 9 - Elyria - SOLD OUT! Canine Legal Update - November 17 - Avon Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - November 30 - Medina County SO [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Legally Confident - Tactically Confident - October 23 - Portage County [private class] with Chief Scott Hughes. Drone Legal Update - December 4 - Tiffin Patrol Legal Update - December 8 - Defiance *Drone legal update training is both CPT and CLE approved for Ohio attorneys. objectivelyreasonable.com/se… #Police #Law #GavelTravels Pictured: Chief Adam Moore addressing the class.

Can Officers Handcuff a Suspect Without Turning a Detention Into an Arrest? U.S. Hoffpowier is important because it gives officers a practical roadmap for moving through three escalating Fourth Amendment stages: reasonable suspicion justified the initial investigative detention; specific indications of flight risk justified the temporary use of handcuffs without transforming the detention into an arrest and, after the stalking arrest, the discovery of binoculars created a reasonable basis to believe the vehicle contained additional evidence of stalking. #HardestJobInAmerica #Police #Law objectivelyreasonable.com/20…

Can Circumstantial Evidence Prove a Narcotics Conspiracy Without Witnessing a Drug Sale? U.S. v. Cunningham is important for law enforcement because it demonstrates how investigators can build a strong conspiracy case without ever witnessing the critical hand-to-hand transfer between conspirators. objectivelyreasonable.com/20… #Police #Law #HardestJobInAmerica