ELMWOOD PLACE — The Elmwood Place Police Department is the latest agency to adopt and implement state standards aimed at strengthening community-police relations, according to Ohio Criminal Justice Services executive director Karhlton Moore.

There are 455 agencies and more than 27,000 police officers across Ohio that have adopted the standards, which were developed by the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board. Another 23 agencies are in the process of becoming certified.

The process includes becoming certified by meeting standards for the use of force — including deadly force — and agency recruitment and hiring.

The state partnered with the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police to help certify Ohio’s nearly 900 law enforcement agencies ensure that they are in compliance with the state’s new standards.