Tag: FTOs: Page 7

Training

BSing Wastes Training Time

There is not a cop alive who doesn't have a trunkful of good police war stories. In fact, I used to think the reason cops were invited to parties was for our great storytelling ability. But knowing when to use that ability is key.

October 7, 2007

Training

FTO for Life

There is an age old question that surfaces in this column of mine: How long will the FTO be my FTO? The first answer to this is that it depends on which phase of the training process you are in, but that is the incorrect answer. The real answer is, for life.

August 16, 2007

Training

Can I Get a "Do Over"?

Yes, in the FTO program you can get hurt, killed, sued, and all of the nasty things of a cop's life up to and including termination. Do not get faint of heart. Just know that this is still a learning program and you will make mistakes!

August 6, 2007

Training

Be a Mentor, Not a Monster

I remember a training officer I had once, back in my cub days, who decided that the best way to break in a new guy was to act all tough and hard, and to intimidate me with his experience and his disdain for me and for what I thought I knew.

June 20, 2007

Training

Recruit Training: Prepare Your Recruits with an FTO Class

All through the academy, your recruits are told horror stories of their future training officers and the “FTO program.” Police work is like most vocations where there are rites of passage. People beginning this career wonder about the rites of passage and trials of fire that they will face as they join the profession.

May 8, 2007

Training

The FTO’s Role in Your Training

When you look at another officer’s uniform and see an FTO pin, what thoughts come into your mind? Sure you know that FTO is an abbreviation for “field training officer.” But just what does that mean?

May 8, 2007

Training

How to Select and Train FTOs

Patrol training is the obligatory stepping stone to street work for many a new cop. It is weeks (or months in remedial cases) of short meals, long nights, and court in the morning. And this time spent with a veteran field training officer (FTO) can result in some of the most curious pairings of individuals since Pat Boone married himself to heavy metal. Still, this mentoring process is critical to the development of new officers.

December 31, 2004