I was surprised to read this statement in an article by the Force Science Institute: “[T]wo-thirds of American officers do not participate in any formal field training programs.”

I know that many FT programs are not particularly comprehensive or effective, but two-thirds of officers don’t get any final field training before going on the street?
Comments about why that might be? Is academy instruction considered good enough to prepare officers without local follow-up training?

The academy is to teach the new officers the law and how the systems work. Field training is how things really work on the street.

Where I worked, the dept was a nationally accredited department. So we most definitely had a field training program. IIRC there was about 75 actual training days where the new officer had to complete before being let loose on the world by himself. But in actuality it took probably another four or five months before that guy quit calling his FTO on the phone about everything he did or was gonna do.

But most small town in NC didn’t have that kind of program. They recruited mainly from larger towns to get older officers who they could put on the street immediately. If they got a guy from the basic school they had a corporal ride the guy around for a few weeks and that was it.

Whenever we got ANYONE from another department they had to go thru our FIeld Training program.regradless. I once sat in the car with a guy who had ten years at our sheriffs office as a road deputy, we used the same computers systems, same radio, same everything. But he still would do stuff that was off the wall. I figured out quickly that the Sheriffs were not inclined to arrest anyone because it would blow back on them when they did. People in the county would just call and bitch about the way a deputy treated them and the deputy got in trouble in turn they would rarely make arrests.

I fixed that. My guy learned that if said offender is sitting in jail, he isn’t out causing problem for the citizens or for us working the street.

We are not an accredited agency. Our program was normally 12 weeks when I started (1998). In 2018 we were on a 16 week FTO program. Lots of documentation.

In 2019 the chief said to rush the last three we hired in less than 9 weeks. Two were fine. The third needs more but whatever, he's the chief.

Yeah , we have an field training program. It's 16 weeks with four phases. Program is okay but the FTO's are the issue. half of our department has less then three years. Many of out FTO's started training other officers in their second year of work. It is insane. We are running out of experienced officers who actually know the job so there isn't much we can do about it.

Yup. 80 days with FTO, another 2 months mandatory 2 man car, remainder of the first 12 months on probationary status.

FTO provides written evaluations daily. After the FTO phase ends a Lt evaluates monthly until probation concludes.

quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:
Yeah , we have an field training program. It's 16 weeks with four phases. Program is okay but the FTO's are the issue. half of our department has less then three years. Many of out FTO's started training other officers in their second year of work. It is insane. We are running out of experienced officers who actually know the job so there isn't much we can do about it.

Same. Before I retired I was the only FTO. Now they have the half blind leading the blind. There's only one guy with more than 5 years on the job.

^^^^thats how it was before I retired. It used to be that to make corporal you had to be an FTO...when they did away with that due to high turn over, each team only had two FTO on each team....then you would see some guy with three years experience and he’s training a new guy...

This is how the dept has been able to get what they want, run off good officers that can think and do, and hire new young guys who will do what the staff wants...ie go lock up that guy in front of the gym...where an older experienced officer might say- dudes got rights and hasn’t broken the law...new guy says okey dokey

I'll do you one better: Some states, Arkansas included, allow LEOs to serve for up to a year (or more) with no formal training. Academy, field, or otherwise.

So there are literally small agencies out there that can hire an officer and say "Go get 'em, tiger... Oh, and you start the academy in 9 months."

Granted, most agencies won't for various liability and common sense reasons, but it's not unheard of. A buddy of mine started his career in a tiny town in southern Arkansas where he was hired as the lone officer after the previous officer left. The mayor told him he was hired, handed him a badge, asked if he had his own gun, and then gave him the keys to the inoperable patrol car parked outside. He had to fix the patrol car himself, and then beg a neighboring agency to provide him some rudimentary ridealong quasi-field training during his free time, while working as a patrol officer for the town as he waited for the academy to start months later. Yikes. (And no, this wasn't the 1950s... This was the late 1990s.)

But while that situation is uncommon, there's certainly a fair number of small agencies that do not provide any additional formal field training beyond the academy, due to the agency's limited resources.

It's not ideal. The academy is limited in what it can teach, especially in states with relatively brief police academies. It represents a baseline foundation for the agency to build upon, not the sum total of all necessary training for a new officer.

I'm now retired, but after the AZPOST requirement of 585 hours basic academy at a regional academy (multiple agencies), a recruit goes through additional 'specialty training' which is unique to the agency. The recruit is then assigned to usually two seasoned field training officers for several months, usually in the area of his/her future assignment which is a minimum one year.

The recruit can be terminated during that period if in the opinion of the field training officers that he/she is not fit to serve.

We have a San Jose model 4 phase program.

Phase 1: seven weeks post academy class room and practical (riots, tasers, radar, report writing system, cad system, Accident submission system, how to write PC affidavits, extra defensive tactics, Extra firearms, extra handcuffing, weaponlight class, patrol rifle class, sims building clearance, low light II, emergency vehicle ops II,IAD procedures, etc.)

Phase 2-3-4 per standard San Jose model with 75 patrol shifts and specific required objectives. We are very busy so everyone gets at least 6 crashes, 3 DWI, 4 self initiated cases, a death, 3 FV cases, 25 citations, several thefts, several evidence cases, and a few major cases (shooting, sexual assault, etc) as primary report guy before going out alone.

Once alone they are monitored by a shift FTO for a time before becoming non probationary.

We have a 12 week program. You get evals during that time plus a test out at the end of the 12 weeks. You can be rephrased for 3 weeks if you do not meet standard you are released...VI

Today the NJ academy is 22 to 24 weeks. That doesn't include the two weeks of pre-academy agency training required.

Upon graduation there isn't any formal FTO requirements but I've never seen an agency of any size they doesn't do it. In the old days, every officer was a town resident for years. They knew the physical makeup, the unofficial names of areas, buildings, etc. Today that is no longer true with new recruits coming from all over the state and in some cases out of state. So we would spend time having them ride around just learning the streets. In our case it was several weeks. If there was an issue it was longer. No set time limit.

Losing one after all that time and expense really sucks. I don't think some realise the cost of getting one new employee. Our testing is all done by an outside association that specializes in that area. The cost to have a written developed to the department's standards, bring in three or more agents to conduct a in person background and the company to provide the physical testing is pricy. Even with the norm of application fees we lost money on it.

At the point of a conditional officer of employment the medical tests run a few thousand. In my day it was a BP and check the heart beat. The psych test is almost a thousand each and runs a few hours. Manpower for the background investigation adds up. You really don;'t want to simply chuck one after all of that so we would try to correct any issues. For the most part we did..in some cases it didn't work . Sadly a few "political hires" in the days when they gutted the testing to get them in came back and bit them in the ass.

This one was hired in spite of the top boss not wanting him. After failing a part of the test a few times a political figure changed the procedure to get him in. Trouble from day one he did nothing but embarrass the department until finally cut. A pricy experiment. Later in time the political figure was arrested himself.

Now how stupid can one person be?????

quote:

Secaucus cops bust one of their own for illegal sale of steroid. He’s a Secaucus police officer, but Officer XXXXX XXXXXXtook on another role. Officials announced the 43-year-old has been charged with obtaining a steroid gel called Androgel testosterone, and then selling it on eBay.

Now retired, but agency had an FTO program. If recruit was hired before an academy class started, they went through "zero phase." Consisted of academy prep, local ordinance studies and ride alongs. Then a 3 phase FTO post academy. Each phase (month long) contained daily observation reports, with a weekly by the shift supervisor. Written tests during each phase. End of phase meeting with FTO and supervisor to determine if recruit was to be passed on to next phase. Recruit remained on probation for a year, with monthly evaluations by the shift supervisor during that period.

quote:

Originally posted by car541:
We have a San Jose model 4 phase program.

Phase 1: seven weeks post academy class room and practical (riots, tasers, radar, report writing system, cad system, Accident submission system, how to write PC affidavits, extra defensive tactics, Extra firearms, extra handcuffing, weaponlight class, patrol rifle class, sims building clearance, low light II, emergency vehicle ops II,IAD procedures, etc.)

Phase 2-3-4 per standard San Jose model with 75 patrol shifts and specific required objectives. We are very busy so everyone gets at least 6 crashes, 3 DWI, 4 self initiated cases, a death, 3 FV cases, 25 citations, several thefts, several evidence cases, and a few major cases (shooting, sexual assault, etc) as primary report guy before going out alone.

Once alone they are monitored by a shift FTO for a time before becoming non probationary.

I have been retired from the PD 20 years now, but the department has been using the San Jose plan for nearly 40 years. Your agency cannot be nationally accredited without some kind of field training program.

Yes. 16 weeks long of Field Training after academy.

I am one of our trainers, if you have any specific questions.

quote:

Originally posted by KevinCW:
I am one of our trainers, if you have any specific questions.

Thank you, but it was just general curiosity based on the statement that most officers don’t receive any field training. I am really impressed by some of the programs described here, though.

After graduating from a POST approved Basic Academy, our new officers have a two week orientation period, where they are introduced to the department and it's various specialized components (everything from Humane (Animal Control), Detectives, Records, Dispatch, Park Rangers, etc... After that, a 16 week FTO program begins. The Primary FTO works with the trainee over the first four weeks, with the emphasis on training in a fairly low key manner, and evaluating based upon the understanding the recruit is new and not expected to know too much. As the training increases over time, more is expected of the trainee in terms of actual knowledge and performance.

At the conclusion of the first four weeks, the trainee is then assigned to another FTO for the next four weeks and then a third FTO for the four weeks that follow. At each stage, the FTOs are anticipating greater and greater levels of knowledge demonstrated by the recruit and this is reflected in daily evaluation. If there's problems, they will be documented and corrected. If the issues aren't resolved, the trainee might be terminated if they're serious enough, even prior to the "Shadow Period", which occurs during the last 2-4 weeks of the program, where the trainee is working by him/herself and followed by the FTO. During this time period, the FTO is expected to document performance and to interrupt the trainee's work as little as possible. The FTO will even work in plainclothes so as to distract those engaged with the trainee as little as possible.

At the conclusion of the 16 week FTO program described, the trainee will work alone for the most part, although sometimes they will partnered with a more experienced officer as needed by the shift. The next eight months, the trainee receives evaluations from the FTO sergeant on a monthly basis. At the end of 12 months of successful work, the officer is off probation. He/she meets with the Chief who then accepts the return of his/her badge (which has kind of a generic number on it) and then gives the officer a new badge that has the same number on it as the employee number he/she received when first hired. This badge/ID number will be the same for the officer throughout his/her career, even with promotions.

As you can tell, this is a pretty intensive training program. Sometimes it's accelerated, if the new officer is a lateral transfer from another agency. Most of the time, our officers are assigned to work alone on patrol, so their quality and self-motivation is a pretty significant thing for us. Even though they work one man/woman cars, they're expected to coordinate with their fellow officers on calls and self-initiated activity.

Maybe things have changed in the last 12 years since I retired, but our program had been in effect for several decades, so I'd be surprised if it was much different now.

My agency was nationally accredited and had a full FTO program.
I was always amazed at the number of people who aced the academy then washed out at the FTO stage.
Reality was apparently a bitch!

The thing to keep in mind is that there are thousands of 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, etc. officer departments, particularly in rural areas that are less likely to have formal field training. They pump up the number of total agencies but cover a relatively small part of the population.

quote:

Originally posted by DaBigBR:
The thing to keep in mind is that there are thousands of 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, etc. officer departments, particularly in rural areas that are less likely to have formal field training. They pump up the number of total agencies but cover a relatively small part of the population.

This is what I was going to bring up. Perhaps the author of the article meant that most police departments don’t have field training programs. That might be right. But I’d guess that by volume, most officers go through a formal field training. In most states two or three of the biggest agencies probably put more officers through their field training than all their state’s officers combined.

I’m sure the stats are public. I’m just lazy.