The Field Training Officer

This course is designed for the new Field Training Officer (FTO), the FTO who has not attended formal training, shift supervisors, patrol managers, agency training officers and the FTO Program administrator.  Using the San Jose Model as its core, the course features the legally defendable evaluation process that is being used in public safety agencies across the country and which has been adopted by the CALEA accreditation standards.

The benefits of the field training approach in employee selection will be identified and legally defendable standardized evaluation procedures will be instructed through discussion and practical exercises.  You will learn about the FTO program structure, how to modify it, key elements and documentation.  Remedial training action plans will be developed to address employee performance deficiencies.  

The FTO program roles of the shift supervisor will be identified.  We will provide you with the information you will need to create an FTO program from scratch or to make valuable improvements to an existing program.

The instructors for this course teach and consult about FTO issues on a national level and were instrumental in the development and operation of FTO programs in their agencies.

Topics include:

•  Basic FTO program concepts
•  Ethical issues
•  Basic program forms
•  Shift supervisor responsibilities
•  The program structure
•  The daily observation report
•  Rating scale application
•  Narrative evaluations
•  How stress impacts trainee performance
•  Adult learning
•  Remedial Training and NRT
•  Remedial Training Plans
•  Legal issues
•  Dealing with difficult trainees
•  FTO and trainee interaction
•  The training checklist

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