National Association of Field
Training Officers
The Art of Training
Most
of us are aware that today's policing and community strategies are a blend of
traditional reactive policing and newer proactive methods of solving identified
social problems. About fourteen years ago, the administration in our department
realized a need to improve the training of new officers. The San Jose Model Field Training Program was selected to
accomplish this. Using problem solving as a major tool of community
policing and law enforcement training itself serves as an enhancement to
capitalize on the officer's reason for entering law enforcement in the first
place, which is, "To help others". The Field Training Program has been designed
to improve the overall quality of police officers for the City of
In tailoring the Field Training Program to the department, we considered management responsibilities, weighing the legal issues raised by the courts. Court decisions regarding the negligent appointment/retention of employees and vicarious liability of the department mandates that management makes every effort to hire and retain only qualified personnel. To this end the Evansville Police Department has developed a valid job‑related Field Training Program, using the Standard Evaluation Guidelines (SEGs) and the assignments of (over 490) random reference numbers (unique to the Evansville Program). The anchors and numbers provide better reference for meetings or for reviews months later. 1. The use of random reference numbers in the SEGs overcomes the normal shortcomings failure of the Field Training Officer to use the guidelines each time. 2. The inability to remember why a particular rating was given at a later time. 3. It also allows the student to relate the rating to the guidelines and supports a narrative for each rated task.
The
newly assigned officers receive additional training in the field, they learn
from the officers who have already gained a great deal of practical experience.
The Field Training Officer process introduces a newly assigned officer to the
internal operation of the department including policies and procedures. It
provides for the initial formal and informal training specific to day‑to‑day
police operations. Our Field Training Officers are experienced, motivated
officers who are selected and trained as instructors during a
After returning from the police academy the student receives 240 hours of classroom instruction and about ten full days of scenario training before field rotations. With a rotation of shifts and field instructors, training briefs, incident frequency checklists, etc., each new student is given the best environment to succeed over the next 24 weeks. The program has been devised to assist student officers in making the transition from what they have learned during scholastic studies and the police academy to performing general law enforcement duties and handling quality of life issues competently in the field. Field Training Officers thoroughly review the field training material with the new student officer and demonstrate proper procedures.
Student
officers are required to perform various law enforcement duties under the
guidance and supervision of their assigned Field Training Officer and the Field
Training Coordinator or Field Training Manager. Our Field Training Unit staff
observes the student and Field Training Officer relationship during unannounced
ride‑a‑longs each rotation, (this
was unique to the
To assure the success of this task, the Field Training Unit has a training philosophy that ensures every student is given the maximum opportunity to show that he or she can do the job. In order to accomplish this, the program creates a positive environment in which learning is maximized, and a new officer is encouraged to perform to the best of his or her ability. The approach is fair, firm, friendly, and above all professional in that it recognizes that not everyone has the capability to perform the complex and demanding tasks required of a police officer. Our responsibility requires us to train and retain only the most competent officers. Over the last thirteen years, 93% of the officers that entered the Field Training Program have satisfactorily completed the program. Approximately 20% of the officers that completed, the program have encountered problems during the training, which required additional training. This training is designed and documented by counseling and the development of a training plan with the student officer and FTO to assist in the remedial learning process. In the event that the student does not meet the acceptable standards, despite the field training staff’s efforts, the department will have the documentation required for termination.
After the department and their field training staff have fully carried out their responsibilities, the results can be measured in improved report writing, more complete and detailed field investigations, officers who work better as teams, and who have fewer and less serious vehicle accidents.
Our
Field Training Staff has the monumental responsibility of building the future
of the department through the people we train. The Field Training Unit has a
significant impact on the individual student and the Field Training Officer
instructor in terms of imprinting attitudes, style, values, and ethics in
carrying out the duties of police work. Consequently, it is probably the most
effective influence on the direction of our department. The Chief and field training supervisors are certain that the program,
which introduces officers to the department, not only develops the necessary
technical skills but also reflects the policing philosophy of the department
and the community that we serve.
By
virtue of the improved education and training, today's new officers start their
careers better prepared than their predecessors did. Highly motivated veteran
officers (Field Trainers) willing to use their experiences have molded new
public servants to a higher standard of responsiveness to the citizens of
The success and feeling of accomplishments
of the Evansville Police Departments Field Training Program comes in watching
our students succeed.
FTO Manager