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418 Field Training Program (Issued 05-15-2008)FRIDLEY POLICE DATE OF ISSUE NUMBER: GENERAL ORDER May 15, 2008 418 SUBJECT: REVISION DATE SECTION: Field Training Program May 15, 2008 Green I. PURPOSE The purpose of this order is to establish Departmental policy governing the Field Training Program. The order establishes the duties of the Field Training Coordinator and the Field Training Officer, the procedure for selection, training and certification of the Field Training Officers, the procedure for the distribution and use of the Field Training Manuel, and the procedures for the assignment of probationary officer. II. POLICY The Field Training Program is intended to achieve the following goals: A. To produce a competent peace officer capable of working a uniformed, solo patrol assignment in a safe, skillful, productive, and professional manner. B. To provide standardized training to all newly assigned patrol officers in the practical application of learned information. C. To provide clear standards for rating and evaluation which give all trainees every reasonable opportunity to succeed. III. PROCEDURE A. Field Training Coordinator 1. The Field Training Coordinator shall be a supervisory officer designated by the Public Safety Director. 2. The Field Training Coordinator shall be responsible for the general control and evaluation of the Field Training Program and shall assume the staff monitoring of all new officers for the duration of their training period. a. The Field Training Coordinator shall monitor and evaluate the overall development of probationary members during their probationary period for purposes of ascertaining any deficiencies and resolving them through training or retraining. b. The Field Training Coordinator shall be responsible for planning, directing, controlling, and evaluating a pre-determined field training assignment, including the designation of original assignments, any changes in such assignments or variations in the length of the assignments. c. The Field Training Coordinator shall work closely with the supervisors of probationary members during and after the completion of the Field Training assignment to determine and correct any training deficiencies, and may recommend a recycling of a probationary officer for retraining. d. The Field Training Coordinator shall conduct a periodic evaluation of each probationary officer in field training and shall prepare a statement of the officer’s development to date and submit it to the Field Operations Division Commander with a recommendation concerning whether the officer meets or does not meet expectations. All other department supervisors will be offered the opportunity to provide input to assist in this final evaluation. B. Field Training Officer (FTO) 1. Field Training Officers shall be responsible for the training and evaluation of the probationary officers when assigned to them, as directed by the Field Training Coordinator. 2. Qualifications of a Field Training Officer a. Be a sworn officer with considerable experience. Although not specifically required emphasis will be placed upon selecting officers with more that two years experience as a Fridley Police Officer. b. Possess the technical knowledge necessary for the successful performance of the police officer’s job. The FTO shall be particularly adept at preliminary investigation and report writing, familiar with the law, aware of his/her policing responsibilities, able to investigate proficiently, and have demonstrated a knowledge of traffic law enforcement. c. Be skilled in inter-personal relations. The FTO must have the ability to work with people under a wide variety of circumstances and be able to recognize, and handle successfully, potentially violent situations. d. Possess the verbal and teaching skills required of a Field Training Officer. The FTO must have the ability to perform in a coach-pupil environment and have the ability to evaluate others objectively. 3. Selection of Field Training Officers a. The selection process shall be initiated by the Field Training Coordinator as the need for Field Training Officers is determined. 4. Certification of Field Training Officers a. Officers who are eligible to become Field Training Officers will attend a Police Field Training Officer Course before they are certified as Field Training Officers. b. The Police Field Training Officer Course shall consist of training put on by Field Training Associates (Sokolove Model). c. Officers completing the Police Field Training Officer Course shall be placed on a roster of approved Field Training Officers. Officers who are approved to serve as Field Training Officers shall maintain their status only as long as they perform their responsibilities satisfactorily. d. The Field Training Coordinator shall recommend to the Patrol Captain the discontinuance of an officer's participation in the Field Training Program if such action is deemed appropriate. 5. Conduct of Field Training Officers a. Field Training Officers shall be uniform in their training techniques. They shall be careful not to develop personal variations in their techniques. b. Field Training Officers shall work closely with the supervisors on duty during scheduled hours of work. C. Field Training Manual 1. The Field Training Coordinator shall be responsible for preparing, revising, and evaluating of the Field Training Manual. 2. Utilization of the Field Training Manual a. The Field Training Manual shall be utilized by Field Training Officers in the training and evaluation of all probationary officers placed on field training assignments. b. Each Field Training Officer shall receive a Field Training Manual for each probationary member assigned to him. The Field Training Coordinator shall forward the Manual to the Field Training Officer before the probationary officer is assigned to the Patrol Division. c. Each probationary officer shall have the Manual explained to him/her and shall retain it during the period of time that he/she is on probation, submitting it as required to the Field Training Officer for updating. The Manual will be utilized to record the progress of the probationary officer. The Manual will be used in conformance with the directions contained therein. d. Periodically, the Field Training Officer will review the training progress of the probationary officer as annotated in the Manual, making any necessary entries. 1) The Field Training Officer shall refer to the Field training Manual before preparing the service ratings on the probationary member as required. e. At the conclusion of the pre-determined field training assignment, the Field Training Officer shall leave the Field Training Manual in the FTO cabinet for the Coordinator to review & evaluate. 1) Field Training Manual will be made available for review by supervisors if desired at any future time. D. Assignment of Probationary Personnel 1. Newly hired officers shall be assigned to the Field Operations Division unless otherwise ordered by the Public Safety Director. 2. Each probationary member who is assigned to the Field Operations Division shall be placed on a field training assignment under the supervision of a Field Training Officer as defined in this order. a. The field training assignments for probationary officers shall be made by the Field Training Coordinator, with the approval of the Field Operations Division Commander. b. The length of field training assignments shall be pre-determined (usually twelve weeks) and will be varied only when a probationary officer needs retraining or when he/she exhibits exceptional progress. 1) The Field Training coordinator may continue the Field Training Assignment for a probationary officer beyond the pre-determined time should the need for further training be apparent with the approval of the Field Operations Division Commander. 3. Probationary members assigned to organizational units other than the Field Operations Division need not be assigned to designated Field Training Officers. 4. Assignments Following Field Training Period a. The Field Training Coordinator shall maintain liaison with the supervisors of an officer who has completed his field training assignment but who is still on probation to ensure that the officer's training needs are fulfilled. 1) Should the need exist, the Field Training Coordinator may recommend the recycling of any probationer for retraining purposes. The decision to recycle a probationer shall be made by the Field Operations Division Commander upon the recommendations of the Field Training Coordinator and the probationer's immediate supervisor.