Zaki Hazou

Legal Instructor

Zaki Hazou is a proud Ohioan with a passion for Fourth Amendment jurisprudence.  His zeal for teaching Search & Seizure stems from his desire to help law enforcement professionals better understand pertinent legal doctrines that impact their day-to-day decision making.

Zaki started his career in law enforcement as a Patrol Officer in Strongsville, Ohio.  He is currently a Detective at the Strongsville Police Department, where in addition to his duties as a detective, he is also responsible for the development and implementation of his agency’s in-service legal training, refresher legal training for newly hired officers, and the presentation of the Ohio-mandated legal continued professional training.  He also teaches various criminal law courses at a local police academy in Middleburg Heights, Ohio.  Prior to his career in law enforcement, Zaki served in the United States Army as a Linguist, and taught Arabic to military field grade officers.

Zaki holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Kent State University, and a master’s degree in Legal Studies with a concentration in Criminal Law from the Cleveland State University College of Law.  He speaks five languages at various proficiency levels, and strongly advocates for intercultural competence among police officers.

Write a Review!

Current reviews for Zaki Hazou

161 Reviews

5

Joseph Alexander

Williamsburg Police Department
Ohio

I absolutely enjoyed having Zaki as an instructor. He kept everything interesting and engaging and explained everything very well. It is obvious he is passionate about what he does and passing on that knowledge to fellow cops. I would highly recommend attending the class if you see his name behind it.

5

B. Sloan

Ohio

I spent the past 3 days completing Blue to Gold advance Search and Seizure, Traffic Stops, and Bulletproof writing. Whether you’re a rookie or a senior officer these classes are worth attending. Zaki Hazou made this PowerPoint training engaging and informative. And if you think you don’t need to attend the bulletproof writing because you know how to incorporate the who, where, when, why, and how in your reports It’s much more than that. I believe it will only make my “good” reports even better. Hazou uses his experience, training, and knowledge to explain everything in detail and how to incorporate it into your job.

5

B. Sloan

Ohio

I spent the past 3 days completing Blue to Gold advance Search and Seizure, Traffic Stops, and Bulletproof writing. Whether you’re a rookie or a senior officer these classes are worth attending. Zaki Hazou made this PowerPoint training engaging and informative. And if you think you don’t need to attend the bulletproof writing because you know how to incorporate the who, where, when, why, and how in your reports It’s much more than that. I believe it will only make my “good” reports even better. Hazou uses his experience, training, and knowledge to explain everything in detail and how to incorporate it into your job.

5

Jeremy Nay

Mt Orab Police Department
Ohio

Very well formatted class. Wonderful class and good information to take back to my agency

5

T. Smith

Ohio

Advanced traffic stop class was very informative and up to date. Provided clear and useful information and how to apply it to everyday patrol.

5

DB

Informative and entertaining class.

5

GGP

Great

5

Braeden koss

Wsupd
Ohio

Very informative, knew all the material

5

DB

Informative and entertaining class.

5

JB

OH

Excellent course. Excellent instructor. Zaki kept the class interesting and gave real life examples from his experience as a fellow Ohio officer. This class should be required for all new officers before they go on solo patrol.

5

Cody R

OH

Very knowledgeable and very engaging on search and seizure. Makes a difficult topic that may be hard to understand, understandable. Speaks like a cop when things are presented in lawyer jargon

5

DB

Ohio

Entertaining and very informative.

5

Withheld

HCSO
Ohio

I'm not much of a review-writing guy. But this class, and the instructor (Det. Zaki H.) were simply top notch. In my 13 years of attending yearly legal updates, I got used to (and was expecting) another boring class. Not this one. Det. Zaki was very energetic and enthusiastic about the material. He set the tone early on encouraging officers to participate, ask questions, and not leaving the class if they had lingering questions. Blue to Gold is by far one of the best training companies out there. I can't recommend this class enough. If you're a cop in Ohio, you should take the class with Det. Zaki who is an Ohio cop himself. A+ class. A+ instructor.

5

D.B.

Ohio

Great base of knowledge and understanding of search and seizure. A must for anyone looking for an opportunity to learn more about the 4th Amendment.

5

Curtis Bosch

Springdale
Ohio

Took a class of useful information that could be extremely boring and kept it interesting. 600 slide PowerPoint sounded awful but was very informative. Instructor is very knowledgeable about the topic

5

MS

Goshen Township PD
Ohio

This was a great course! Zaki is a great instructor, and kept the class well engaged.

5

Cody R

OH

Very knowledgeable and very engaging on search and seizure. Makes a difficult topic that may be hard to understand, understandable. Speaks like a cop when things are presented in lawyer jargon

5

Alex Janszen

Springdale PD
Ohio

Great instructor. He was very knowledgeable and covered all aspects of search and seizure that I have ever encountered.

5

T. Smith

Blanchester PD
Ohio

Great instruction, refreshing and informative information. I left with a lot of information that can be applied to my everyday patrol shift

5

A.G

Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
Ohio

Zaki is a very informative and provided clear and concise Information during this training. He made the training more enjoyable by getting participants to engage and relate to their real life experiences.

5

Grote

Colerain Twp. Police
Ohio

The class was very informative and the instructor was extremely knowledgeable.

4

Jim Beckman

Oh

Good energy but began class demanding class respond to his question.

5

Ryan

City of Sharonville
OH

Zaki Hazou always presents a great class. We have turned to Blue to Gold and Zaki to be included in our annual training, keeping our officers up to date on search and seizure and other emerging legal trends.

5

CAF

Ohio

Great class very informative

5

GT

Springdale Oh
Ohio

This class was very informative. Well written and explained well.

5

Curtis Bosch

Springdale
Ohio

Took a class of useful information that could be extremely boring and kept it interesting. 600 slide PowerPoint sounded awful but was very informative. Instructor is very knowledgeable about the topic

5

Matt W

Instructor was very knowledgeable on the topics of search and seizure. He made the case law discussion interesting and relevant to the job.

5

CG

Sharonville
Ohio

Outstanding!

5

MS

Goshen Township PD
Ohio

This was a great course! Zaki is a great instructor, and kept the class well engaged.

5

Jared Moore

West Carrollton PD
OH

Search and seizure class was very informative and well presented.

5

RG

Ohio

Great class, very knowledgeable.

5

BR

SPD
OHIO

Really enjoyed the class. I attended the same class last year and it is nice to see the updates to case law and the current information

5

D.B.

Ohio

Great base of knowledge and understanding of search and seizure. A must for anyone looking for an opportunity to learn more about the 4th Amendment.

5

Ben Schaefer

WSU-PD
OHIO

Great work, very informative. Very willing to answer questions.

5

Agnew

Norwood Pd
Ohio

Very engaging. Expects questions and challenges to Grey areas and topics!

5

John Williamson

Hamilton County Sheriff
Ohio

Very informative and energetic! Has a strong understanding of laws concerning search and seizure.

5

Jason Davis

Springdale
Ohio

Great class. Instructor was very interning made the material fun. Wish I was taking the next 2 classes with him.

5

EL

Ohio

Very knowledgeable and presented very well.

5

JO

Ohio

Very knowledgeable on the topics and made the class very fun and interesting.

5

EMZ

Hamilton County sheriffs office
OH

Very knowledgeable and did make the course content easy to understand.

5

John Hubbard

St Bernard Police
Ohio (OH)

Very thorough and extremely helpful

5

DB

Ohio

Entertaining and very informative.

5

Neibecker

Willowick PD
Ohio

Zaki was very knowledgeable and passionate about the material. He was able to engage with the class and made class entertaining with his use of videos and "war" stories. I would definitely attend another class taught by Zaki.

5

Kyle B

Willowick
Ohio

Zaki was a great instructor. We had a two day class with different topics and Zaki was able to break things down to where I left with no unanswered questions.

5

Dan Kalk

Orange Police
Ohio

Unbelievably knowledgeable regarding the laws of search and seizure and arrest. Very good instructor.

5

AR

Willowick
Ohio

Detective Hazou was knowledgeable in the material and made the class enjoyable. Highly recommend.

5

KS

SEPD
Ohio

Very informative, learned a lot in a two day period

5

Mercado

Ucpd
Ohio

Great instructor, always makes learning fun and enjoyable.

5

ML

Brook Park PD
Ohio

Zaki did a great job of breaking down each case law that was discussed and made it easy to understand. He was very knowledgeable and helpful!

5

SB

Great class and Zaki is a very knowledgeable instructor. Highly recommend taking his classes.

5

Mikias Green

Fairview park pd
OH

Detective Hazou was very knowledgeable and explained the course content in great detail for a better understanding

5

JB

Ohio

Search and Seizure and Traffic Stops class was very informative, and the instructor clearly understood the material well. I would highly recommend both of these classes.

5

GL

Mayfield Heights Police
Ohio

Excellent course. Zaki was very knowledgeable and gave plenty of practical examples.

5

Ms

Oh

Awesome class!!

5

Withheld

Zaki is a superb instructor with a remarkable ability to keep the class engaged. Excellent class in Reynoldsburg.

5

JG

Strongsville PD
OH

Detective Hazou displayed an impressive knowledge of the laws being taught. He was also extremely entertaining, while remaining professional and thorough in the manner in which he taught the information, making it easy to understand and apply to the job.

5

ZH

Village of Hebron Police Department
Ohio

Instructor Zaki is a very knowledgeable and great instructor. I highly recommend attending his classes.

5

BD

Very knowledgeable and helpful with questions.

5

Jc

Great instructor, and great class

5

JS

WCSO
OH

Well taught on material Zaki is very versed in. He delivered with case reviews and case law references. Well done!

5

Brittanie Vannoy

OH

Very good. Detective with less than a year on, I learned a lot.

5

CS

Great course. Great instructor. Thanks Zaki!!!

5

Knowledgeable in topics courses are easy to follow and keeps you involved

5

SM

Sharonville
OH

Zaki is an excellent instructor; always presents material in a very understandable and relatable way.

5

John Fetters

Mt. Orab Police Department
Ohio

Liked his presentation and way of “ Cop speak” instead of talking in lawyer jargon.

5

ML

OH

Good class, instructor was good at keeping it interesting.

5

Steve Helton

Trenton
OHIO

Great training! I have attended many Blue to Gold classes and Zaki Hazou make each one interesting and fun. He takes the time before and after class to answer questions which has helped me in many of my investigations.

5

ML

OH

Good class, instructor was good at keeping it interesting.

5

CJ

WPD
Ohio

Great, modern, and relevant info. Highly recommend for any law enforcement officer.

5

BD

Lots of valuable information

5

NS

Cincinnati Police
Ohio

Great informative class. Lots of interaction and practical, realistic videos.

5

MR

OH

Great instructor!

5

Alex

Hamilton Township Police Department
Ohio

Great course and great instructor!

5

CS

Another great course. Zaki is a phenomenal instructor

5

Incredibly knowledgeable and not afraid to teach what he believes is best

5

CB

Shaker Heights

Excellent material, & great instructor

5

DH

New Philadelphia pd
Oh

Great class!

5

AR

OH

Great informative class. Beyond knowledgeable in case law. Highly recommend to all officers new to old.

5

PV

Betea
OH

Was a great class, very informative. Enjoyed the class and listening to Zaki. You can tell he knows his stuff and is confident. Will definitely recommend this class to others.

5

John Holiday

Garfield Heights
Ohio

Great class very informative! Zaki is very knowledgeable and keeps the class interesting!

5
Medina County Sheriff's Office

Great class and information

5

MRM

Great Class!! Great Instructor!!

5

CE

Brooklyn
OH - Ohio

Excellent presentation. Zaki is a wealth of knowledge. Legal classes can be extremely dry and his manner of presentation kept the attention and interest of the class. Definitely recommend this class for every level of officer.

5

HD

Good class. Knowledgeable instructor.

5

DS

Ohio

Great instructor. Great course. Simplifies Case Law for an easy understanding on how it applies to day to day scenarios on patrol.

5

Daniel Mitri

Shaker Heights PD
Ohio

Most informative legal class I have attended. A lot of useful information that I am eager to pass along to shift mates and use in the field. Highly recommend to any officer no matter of position or experience.

5

Cy

OH

Good class

5

Cy

OH

Good class

5

PV

Betea
OH

Was a great class, very informative. Enjoyed the class and listening to Zaki. You can tell he knows his stuff and is confident. Will definitely recommend this class to others.

5

LH

Ohio

Great class if you are looking to expand your knowledge on case law and requirements for searches

5

NG

Niles
Ohio

Great class, very knowledgeable instructor.

5

CB

Shaker Heights

Excellent material, & great instructor

5

CK

Bath PD
Ohio

Good class very detailed.

5

John Holiday

Garfield Heights
Ohio

Great class very informative! Zaki is very knowledgeable and keeps the class interesting!

5

RC

OH

Great class. Great instructor.

5

Jacob engelhart

Euclid PD
Ohio

Great instructor and amazing material

5

MB

OH

Great class, very knowledgeable!

5

Jordan May

Minerva Police Department
Oh

Good class.

5

NA

Independence
OH

Great class! Very knowledgeable instructor.

5

RC

Ohio

Great class, very knowledgeable.

5

NH

OH

Very well spoken and will clarify and questions you have. Very good class!

5

Josh A

Mansfield pd
Oh

Awesome training, learned a lot to better my career.

5

JR

OHIO

Provided real world scenarios and step by step processes to work through different situations.

5

CB

Lexington
Ohio

Instructor was knowledgeable on the topic.

5

Jordan May

Minerva Police Department
OH

Good class

5

NA

Independence
OH

Great class! Very knowledgeable instructor.

5

SB

Brook Park
Ohio

Great class! Instructor was very knowledgeable.

5

RC

Ohio

Great class, very knowledgeable.

5

NH

OH

Very well spoken and will clarify and questions you have. Very good class!

5

Jacob D

Massillon
Ohio

Very informative and interactive

5

RC

Ohio

Great class, very knowledgeable.

5

Friendly funny and knowledgeable shows a real passion for the subject

5

Josh A

Mansfield pd
Oh

Awesome training, learned a lot to better my career.

5

RA

OH

Great class

5

Jacob engelhart

Euclid
OH

Great class and it should be mandatory for officers in their first years of service.

5

Jmon Wells

Alliance
OH

Great class! Learned a lot from the instructor.

5

Sdl

Ohio

Good content in class, teacher was extremely knowledgeable.

5

TM

Dalton Pd
OH

I attended the Bulletproof report writing course and it was very informative. I learned a lot about writing a strong case report

5

J. Lucas

Stark County Sheriffs Office
Ohio

Knowledgeable and truly passionate about the subject. A joy to learn from.

5

savannah

Bedford
Ohio

Provided good examples and explains things in multiple ways.

5

Jimmy Povejsil

OH

I was told I was going to this class and had little to no interest in attending. The instructor did a phenomenal job in presenting the material and made it very easy to understand and the class was actually enjoyable. With out a doubt probably the best instructor I have ever had for a class

5

JM

University Heights
OH

Knowledgeable instructor. Makes class interesting. I learned a lot and would recommend it to others

5

TL

OH

Instructor Hazou is fantastic. He provided quality information on the topic that was being taught. The bulletproof report writing class should be taken by all officers no matter their time on the job.

5

ACW

Very in depth class, for how to write good reports for any situation

5

Jack Darnell

Middleburg Heights Police
Ohio

Class was excellent. Very detailed information was presented in a way that made it easy to understand the digest. Practical application of report writing and the legal considerations to increase the effectiveness of a report was clear and very interesting.

5

Owen R

University Heights
Ohio

The presentation of the material was very useful and helped me realize there were some areas lacking in my report writing skills

5

Rod Foley

Youngstown
OHIO

Well prepared instructer and knowledgeable of the material

5
YPD
Ohio

Very knowledgeable of the subject matter. Great instructor!

5

RS

Great instructor

5

JM

Great presentation of a meaningful topic (Real World De-Escalation). I will intentionally be seeking courses instructed by Zaki. His instruction style, ability to present information clearly and fully helped make the course.

5

Rod Foley

Youngstown
OHIO

Instructor Zaki Hazou is an excellent instructor as well as educated on the topics of Duty to Intervene and De-escalation.

5

ACW

Very informative classes, highly recommended for any point in career training.

5

JH

Twinsburg PD
OH

Zaki was very intelligent and knowledgeable, and provided informative instruction. I would recommend any training provided by Zaki.

5

J. Lucas

Stark County Sheriffs Office
Ohio

Extremely knowledgeable about the topics, and presented in a very relatable and understandable way. Highly recommend any classes held by this instructor and cannot wait to attend another one.

5

MB

YPD
Ohio

Very good instructor. You can certainly see his passion for the law. Was knowledgeable on the subject matter and was able to provide real world examples!

5

Seth Loper

Ohio

Content was relevant and applicable for everyday Police work. I liked the real world examples given on the topics discussed. Teacher was very knowledgeable on the topics discussed.

5

Ryan R

University Heights
Ohio

Very knowledgeable and great instruction. Provided great information that was easy to follow.

5

CP

Ohio

Very knowledgeable in state and federal laws along with case law. Mr. Hazou was very in depth and answered all questions by students thoroughly and professionally.

5

Owen R

University Heights
Ohio

The session was very insightful, and helped prepare me to future calls that require me to slow down and remain calm.

5

ER

Massillon PD
Ohio

Great class, seems like it should be mandatory to cover what you can be liable and or responsible for, even if you’re not the initiating officer. Highly recommend the class.

5

JM

University Heights
OH

Good instructor keeps the class engaged. Very knowledgeable. Learned a lot from the class.

5

MNH

Stark County Sheriffs Office
Ohio

This class was incredible. I learned so much information and learned different ways to use my verbal Deescalation. The instructor was very professional and polite. I definitely recommend taking this class.

5

R Snyder

One of the best instructors I’ve had training with

5

Withheld

Ohio

I attended Zaki's emerging legal trends class in Bethel Ohio. The class was excellent. The topics were on point, especillay search incident to arrest and drones. Zaki is an exceptional instructor. His passion to help officers understand the law is obvious. He took the time to answer all questions and made the topic interesting. As a current detective in Ohio, he was able to address Ohio specific issues which I found to be interesting. This is my 4th blue to gold in-person class with Zaki. A+ instructor and A+ training.

5

Jacob TenBrink

Addyston
OHIO

Blue to Gold training class is highly recommended for all agencies as it is very informative and easy to understand. If there is any misleading information or confusion, the instructor Zaki goes out of his way to explain and ensure understanding.

4

JM

New Richmond
Ohio

Zaki Hazou is great with training Search & Seizure updates. The Emerging Legal Trends class is great

5

Eric Willaims

New Richmond police
Ohio

Instructor was very knowledgeable and provided very structural information that was easy to follow and understand.

5

NM

Miami University PD
OH

Really great class. I believe all officers, new or old need to take this class. The laws are constantly changing and we need to keep up with the times!

5

AC

He was a great instructor. He was very knowledgeable on the laws and cases. He made sure we understood cases.

5

JF

Ohio

Zaki Hazou was very knowledgeable and presented the course material in a logical manner. Zaki was eager to help the class understand, and tailored some of the material specifically to Ohio where are course was located. Zaki used appropriate real world examples, and was effective I'm his conveyance of the lesson material.

5

Jason Hahn

Mt. Orab
Ohio

Very knowledgeable and presented current information that was very helpful and useful. Will definitely attend more Blue to Gold courses.

5

Brian goody

Bethel police
Ohio

Anthony would be proud. The updated case law with the merging and changing laws and decisions were spot on

5

Jamal Brown

Addyston Police
Ohio

Class was an eye opener for me to better understand policing and laws. Very knowledgeable. Great class

5

MJM

Addyston
OH

Very informative, instructor is personable and willing to explain

5

MS

Ohio

Instructor is very knowledgeable and engages the entire class.

5

Walt Griffith

Loveland
OH

Great class! Instructor was very knowledgeable and made the class enjoyable. Great report writing refresher as well as learning new material

5

Brad Jones

Mount Orab Police
Ohio

Zaki is a phenomenal instructor who brings real life scenarios to the classroom and he delivers the information in a manner in which all students and understand.

5

AM

Ohio

I was in the Search & Seizure, Advanced Traffic Stops and Bulletproof Report Writing classes taught in Hamilton Township, OH. The instructor was extremely knowledgeable and presented the information in an approachable and professional manner.

5

MC

Nice job teaching an interesting course with valuable information that will assist me in making quicker decisions in the field

5

MS

Attended the advanced search and seizure class. The instructor was awesome and kept the class engaged

5

JY

Addyston

Today's class has been very informative. Although no one likes to sit and look at slides all day, our instructor has made it engaging and interactive, instead of just speaking to us through the slides. I would recommend this training to all police personnel.

Upcoming Training for Zaki Hazou

Sharonville Fire Department | HQ Station 86
09/16/2025

 – 

09/18/2025

Mastering Search & Seizure
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 | Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Emerging Legal Trends
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 | Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Real World De-Escalation
Thursday, September 18, 2025| Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Duty to Intervene
Thursday, September 18, 2025| Time: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Tickets

The numbers below include tickets for this event already in your cart. Clicking "Get Tickets" will allow you to edit any existing attendee information as well as change ticket quantities.
Cincinnati, OH - Mastering Search & Seizure 09-16-2025
$ 199.00
50 available
Cincinnati, OH - Emerging Legal Trends 09-17-2025
$ 199.00
50 available
Cincinnati, OH - Real World De-Escalation & Duty to Intervene 09-18-2025
$ 199.00
50 available

Education

Master of Legal Studies, Cleveland State University College of Law, Cleveland, Ohio. (2018)

  • Concentration – Criminal Law.

  • Cumulative GPA – 3.87 on a 4.0 scale.

Bachelor of Arts, Justice Studies, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. (2006)

Ohio Peace Officer Certificate, Ohio State Highway Patrol Police Academy, Columbus, Ohio. (2013)

 

Experience

2022 – Present – Legal Instructor, Blue to Gold Law Enforcement Training March

February 2021 – Present – Instructor, Polaris Career Center

June 2022 – Present – Detective, Strongsville Police Department

August 2013 – June 2022 – Police Officer, Strongsville Police Department

January 2010 – May 2013 – Linguist / Operations Sergeant, United States Army

July 2006 – December 2009 – Assistant Manager, Office of Safety & Security, Kent State University

 

Knowledge, Skills, and Training

Speaker of Arabic, English, Hebrew, Arameac, and French — at various proficiency levels.

Certified Police Instructor – Procedural Justice, Domestic Violence, and Legal.

Completed formal training courses in the following areas:

  • Core Criminal Investigations.

  • Narcotics Investigations.

  • Sexual Assault Investigations.

  • Online and Undercover Investigations.

  • Criminal Patrol and Drug Interdiction Operations.

  • Interview and Interrogation – Basic and Advanced courses.

  • Verbal de-escalation.

  • Crisis Intervention and Mental Illness First Aid.

  • Intercultural Proficiency and Diversity.

Well-versed in Fourth Amendment jurisprudence (Search & Seizure).

Demonstrated effective intercultural communication skills.

Advise on crime prevention strategies to strengthen community relations

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