HB 187 Summary

• Modifies sheriff candidate eligibility requirements by changing education standards from "at least two years of post-secondary education or equivalent" to specifically requiring "a minimum, a two-year associate degree" from an accredited college, university, or career college.

• Adds "sergeant" to the list of acceptable supervisory ranks for the two-year experience requirement, allowing candidates with sergeant-level experience to qualify alongside those with corporal rank or above.

• Maintains all other existing sheriff candidate qualifications including U.S. citizenship, one-year county residency, high school diploma or GED, criminal background clearance, peace officer training certification, and law enforcement experience requirements.

• Applies these new standards to candidates for sheriff office in elections and appointments, with board of elections responsible for certifying candidate qualifications before candidacy filing deadlines.

• Repeals the existing version of section 311.01 of the Revised Code and replaces it with the amended requirements.