The Role of the Field Training Manager by Mickey Bennett was the
first executive director of the NAFTO. Members of the San Jose (CA)
Police Department developed the first formalized field training
program in 1972 which has been used as the foundation for most of
today’s programs. Although originally titled the Field Training and
Evaluation Program, most programs today are commonly referred to
as the Field Training Officers or FTO Program. The name change
seems to imply that the entire responsibility of the program rests with
the Field Training Officer. This is not true, however, with any well
designed FTO program...
Hitting the Streets v. In-House Training by: Sgt. Kevin M. Hermes.
The majority of municipal law enforcement agencies across the United
States rely upon outside agencies such as the state police, county
sheriff, larger municipalities or local community colleges to provide
basic police academy training to newly-hired officers. When the
basically trained officer returns to his/her agency, realistically are they
ready to hit the streets with their assigned Field Training Officer
(FTO)?
Mobile Classroom by John Cooley, Los Angeles (CA) Police
Department. “Field training officers (FTOs) must recognize this mobile
classroom for what it is and use it as a valuable but limited resource.”
The Focus Group – An Asset to the Field Training Officer by
Kirby J. Beck, Coon Rapids (MN) Police Department (his article in the
early 1990s). Have you ever wondered why are no organizations or as
sociations especially for field training officers? There are a number of
fine organizations and associations to serve the needs of other law
enforcement skills areas such as firearms, defensive tactics, and
SWAT teams.
Effective Teaching Strategies for the FTO by, Lt. Jim Gordon.
Anyone who’s been in the FTO ranks for any length of time can
remember that one trainee who “just wasn’t getting it…” and beat their
heads against the wall trying to figure out how they could reach them,
salvage them, and save the Department from losing a valuable
investment. Unfortunately, many law enforcement FTO schools don’t
teach their students the nuts and bolts of how to effectively train.
_______________________________________________________
Who is the Ideal FTO?, by Kevin M. Hermes. As early as 1965 the
President’s Commission of Criminal Justice Standards and Goals
recommended that every graduate of a police academy program
receive four months of additional training in the field by qualified
officers regarding further in-service instruction. Today, there are both
large and small law enforcement agencies nationally that subscribe to
some form of post-academy training program for newly hired officers.
_______________________________________________________
Scenario Training by Tom Hausner (WI Sheriff’s Department and
past NAFTO President) Using Scenario Training in Place of Calls for
Service Problem...how do you “check off’ a bank robbery or high-risk
traffic stop on your field training checklist if you happen to work on a
department where these types of incidents occur only on a very rare
occasion? You have several options.
________________________________________________________
FTO Burn Out by Jack Molden, FTOs seem to get burned out after
training several recruits one right after another.
________________________________________________________
Future of the FTO Program by Daniel M. Ortega. During the past
20+ years that the FTO Program as we know it, has been in existence,
there have been some key elements that have been a part of the
program since its inception that we feel will continue to be a very
important part of the program in the future.
________________________________________________________
Developing FTO Programs For First Line Supervisors by Mickey
Bennett. Ask any administration “What is the most important level of
supervision in your agency”? The frequently heard response is that
the sergeant or first line supervisor is the most critical supervisory
position. The first line supervisor can swing a very effective and
efficient organization to one in turmoil if the supervisor lacks
consistency. Rather than risk this, I suggest the organization consider
developing a field training program for supervisors.
________________________________________________________
"Expaning Your FTO Program During A Recession" by Mickey
Bennett, the recession is having an impact on many law enforcement
and corrections organizations. Many agencies have reduced or
suspended hiring of new employees, which has raised the question:
"Why do we have a Field Training Program"? I believe that this is the
time to do more with less but the "less" does not mean less skills.
________________________________________________________
Field Training Beyond the Basics: Providing Career Survival
Guidance
in the Law Enforcement Profession, by Lieutenant John M. Killin.
The field training officer felt that the interview was going well, and the
victim seemed satisfied with the service she was receiving in resonse
to her report of stolen lawn furniture. The deputy sheriff trainee had
developed an excellent meet and deal quality during the first phase of
his field training program, and people seemed to warm to him.
________________________________________________________
Field Training Officers- Leading the Front Lines, by Lt. Jim
Gordon.
The FTO is a pivotal role model, with an awesome responsibility of
ensuring the standards of the agency are maintained with each and
every recruit going through the program.
________________________________________________________
Performance Evaluations of Field Training Officers, by Lt. Mike
Meeham, Seattle Washington Police Department. Performance
evaluations are an integral part of the field training officer’s
responsibilities. However, while field training officers (FTO) routinely
evaluate student officers, the FTOs themselves are rarely evaluated
as trainers.
________________________________________________________
The Lateral Entry Program and the FTO by David Lemmer. Under
our Lateral Entry Program, the physical agility and written tests
normally provided during the recruitment process were waived for
experienced law enforcement officers.
________________________________________________________
Evansville(IN) Police Department's Taser Program by Sgt. Jim
Magary. The taser falls into our Force Continuum above empty hands
control but below closed hands control, at the same level as OC. This
means our officers can taser someone if they are actively resisting, not
passively resisting.
________________________________________________________
The Field Training Concept
In Criminal Justice Agencies
by Glenn F. Kaminsky
“The emphasis and balance given to each subject in this manual
appears to be very appropriate….the level of the material is
appropriate for a wide range of police departments and only be
inappropriate for the smallest, least trained municipalities, where
“FTO” would not be a reality. Mr. Kaminsky has a very good approach,
which utilizes adult learning theory to “tell, show, do”….I am unaware of
any competitors or materials even marginally on the level of this
manual.... This is the only manual that I would use for training or
reference within our program."
Sergeant Bob Littlejohn
Public Safety Training Center, Bellevue, WA
At last! A How to…..book on Field Training.
________________________________________________________
Training Recruits When There Are No Calls For Service by Frank
Moore
Carol Stream, (IL) P.D. I developed folders containing the information I
felt a FTO would cover when teaching the recruit how to handle these
infrequent calls.
________________________________________________________
Field Training Program For Detectives by Sgt. Robert Troutt,
Marion County Sheriff’s Dept., Indianapolis, Indiana. The Investigations
Division Field Training Officer Program in the Marion County Sheriff's
Department is a planned approach to training and evaluation. It
consists of the following three phases.
________________________________________________________
Field Training Officer Certification Course: Job - Specific by
Sergeant Bill Welcher, Evansville (IN) Police Department.
________________________________________________________
Improper Use of the Training Officer Program by Jack Molden.
There is a legitimate need for the retraining of in service personnel.
But it should be done within the normal management structure, not by
field training personnel.
________________________________________________________
Standardization For FTO Programs by Jack Molden. Has the time
come for the various FTO organizations to band together and
establish a set of recommended standards for FTO programs to be
submitted to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, The
National Sheriffs Association, the Commission on Accreditation for Law
Enforcement Agencies and other professional organizations for their in
put and support?
________________________________________________________
FTO The Art of Training by Gary Anderson
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.
________________________________________________________
CRIMINAL JUSTICE INDUCTION
TRAINING - The Field Training Concept.
Ed. Peter Charles Unsinger and
Harry W More. Publisher; Charles C. Theomas
Springfield, IL., 1990 BOOK REVIEW by Jack Molden
________________________________________________________
Field Training Officer Errors by Harlan Carey, Arvada, (CO) P.D.
As FTO's we all want to be a success. However, statistics show the
odds can be against us. At a recent FTO school twenty seven different
errors which affect the performance of a FTO were discussed.
________________________________________________________
Field Training Project Report a thesis by Mike Novakowski. This
thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
of MASTER OF ARTS In LEADERSHIP AND TRAINING
________________________________________________________
The Importance of a 40 Hour FTO School by Shannon Bunger
FTO, Indiana University Police Department. The week of the school
arrived and I went in with an open mind. After two days at the school I
realized that I had done a below average job of grading and
documenting the recruits.
________________________________________________________
The National Association of Field Training Officers by Mickey
Bennett. The founder is Mickey Bennett, a former Sergeant with the
Long Beach (California) Police Department and a Field Training
Officer for over 12 years. The concept of the National Association of
Field Training Officers N(NAFTO) was created by FTO managers
during brainstorming workshops while attending a FTO management
course. The course was instructed by Mickey Bennett and presented
by California State University Ling Beach.
________________________________________________________
The Role of the Training Officer by Richard Elde, Los Angeles, (C.
A) P D. A training officer’s most important job is one of example. He
sets the new officer on an initial course, starts habits that can last a
lifetime and sets the tone for an entire career. A training officer sets or
influences attitudes towards the community, minorities, supervision and
discipline.
________________________________________________________
Training Part Time Employees by Steven Kellams, Director, Indiana
NAFTO. The key to analyzing any training issue is to look at the
relevancy of the training to the task. If the task is to dig a hole then the
appropriate training would be to tell the person how to dig the hole,
then show them how to dig the hole, and then have them dig the hole
themselves.
________________________________________________________
Using Microsoft Access to Track and Catalog Performance by
Chris Dutton
This intention of this article is to give you a foothold into the world of
Access programming. This may sound a bit intimidating if you have
never “programmed” anything before. Trust me… it is not hard. It just
takes a little time and patience.
________________________________________________________
Reflections of the Member-at-Large by Don Schmuhl
In December 2001, I was promoted to Sergeant in our patrol division. I
was given the opportunity to become the manager of our FTO program.
________________________________________________________
Compensation for Field Training Officers
By Steven Kellams director IN-NAFTO.
One of the most common questions asked during a basic field training
officer’s school is about compensation. Many new FTO’s and FTO
managers are interested in the types of compensation offered by
departments, and often compare the answers with their own programs.
The beginning of your police career is going to be difficult, because
you're going to experience situations and circumstances that classroom
scenarios can only touch upon. Since every real life experience can go
in any direction, scenarios are limited in their ability to prepare you for
the real deal.
Enter the Field Training Officer -- more commonly referred to as the
FTO. Police departments across the country are creating their own FTO
programs to train their new police officers either during their academy
classroom training or post classroom training.
In the past, every new police officer experienced the assistance of
experienced officers on an informal basis, but new officers were rarely
closely supervised on a continuous basis for any length of time. FTO
programs were created for the express purpose of providing the brand
new officer with the continuous supervision, training and assistance to
acclimate the new officer during those first weeks or months on the
street.
An FTO program also gives a police department, or training academy, a
better insight on the new officer's suitability for a police career. In this
regard, the FTO is expected to honestly rate the new officer's abilities to
perform as a police officer under real life interaction with the public;
criminals; the criminal justice system, and his or her performance
under crisis situations.
When you become a police officer, you'll be on a period of probation.
Most police departments require a minimum probation period of one
year. During your probation, your employment can be terminated,
theoretically, for just about anything. Most departments don't like to
terminate probationary officers, simply because you represent a
significant financial investment. So, when a probationary officer is
terminated, it usually is the result of a significant violation. A good
FTO program should do two things: First, it should provide you with the
training to prevent you from committing any significant
violation...whether through ignorance or simple inexperience. Secondly,
the FTO should be prepared to make the hard decision of honestly
rating a new officer who is clearly unsuitable for police work.
For any program to perform successfully, the people running it must
themselves be up to the task. While most experienced police officers
don't mind offering guidance and assistance to a new officer, most don't
want to do it on a full time basis. Therefore, police officers entering an
FTO program have to want to be Field Training Officers. The problem is
that every officer who wants to be an FTO may not be suitable for the
assignment. Choosing an FTO candidate is not a problem in a police
department which experiences little turnover; however, in larger
departments where new hires are frequent and numerous, the selections
of FTO's become more problematic.
Field
Training
Officer
As part of your preemployment search for information,
you should put FTO Programs on you list. That's way
I've linked you directly to www.NAFTO.org/articles.htm
which includes the articles listed below:
N.A.F.T.O. is an educational and professional association
concerned with apprenticeship and advance ongoing training
(commonly known to as the Field Training Officer concept) for
Law Enforcement, Communications, and Corrections personnel.
Educators, Administrators and other Criminal Justice
practitioners are also encouraged to participate.
"The material is appropriate
for a wide range of police
departments and only be
inappropriate for the
smallest, least trained
municipalities, where “FTO”
would not be a reality. Mr.
Kaminsky has a very good
approach, which utilizes
adult learning theory to
“tell, show, do”….I am
unaware of any competitors
or materials even
marginally on the level of
this manual.... This is the
only manual that I would
use for training or reference
within our program."
Sergeant Bob Littlejohn
Public Safety Training
Center, Bellevue, WA
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