Certification training to serve as an FTO with Probationary Police personnel
- Focus upon the utilization of the Big Twelve Instructional and Coaching Tools
- Preparing a proactive problem-oriented and self-reliant Police Officer
- Specific, objective, legally-anchored documentation of Probationer performance
About the instructor
Bruce Sokolove earned a Bachelor of Arts from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and a Master of Science in Police Administration/Public Safety from Michigan State University in 1970. He is a former Police Officer and Patrol Commander. Bruce served the uniform in North Adams, Massachusetts and Ann Arbor, Michigan and served as Executive Officer and Undersheriff for the Washtenaw County (MI) Sheriff’s Department. He is the former Director of the Southern Michigan Law Enforcement Training Center, a regional state police academy providing basic and in-service instruction/certification for Michigan law enforcement candidates. Bruce currently serves as a member of the State of Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards Curriculum Advisory Task Force. He has been published in The Police Chief Magazine (International Association of Chiefs of Police) and Law and Order Magazine and is a frequent speaker at law enforcement conferences, including the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Association of Law Enforcement Training Officers, and the National Association of Field Training Officers.
Basic Field Training Officer
This course is specifically designed for experienced, uniformed patrol personnel selected to serve as Field Training Officers for probationary employees. This course emphasizes the FTO’s role in assisting probationers in certifying for solo patrol operations by applying the knowledge and skills acquired during Basic Police Training/Certification and using them according to agency policies, procedures, and community service delivery standards.
Instruction in this program highlights two essential Field Training and Evaluation Process skills:
A) The ability to examine and objectively document the probationer’s job behaviors using standardized assessment guidelines and,
B) The analysis of the probationer’s training needs and use of proper instructional techniques for corrective action.
Presentation will focus on discussion as well as hands-on application of the course materials in individual/student exercises. Students will be required to complete out-of-classroom reading assignments from the course text and workbook “Breaking Routine: Field Training Officer.”
Course content includes:
– What every FTO really needs to know about the operational structure of the Field Training & Evaluation Process
– The Instructional Relay Race: Taking over where basic police training/certification left off inventorying the probationer’s current knowledge and skill proficiencies
– Selection and use of on-the-job instructional techniques: finding the right tools to meet the challenge
– Examining effective probationer assessment standards that produce outstanding law enforcement officers
– Utilization of standardized evaluation guidelines
– Documenting probationer performance
– Performance assessment: objectively measuring probationer competence
– Documenting the extent of training and coaching
– Managing deficient performance and the “Not Responding to Training” probationer
– Use of the Probationer Officer Manual as the Field Training playbook
– Preparing the Probationer for Community Oriented Policing: Dancing with SARA!
Students should be familiar with their Department’s current Field Training and Evaluation process and are encouraged to both obtain and review a copy of their agency’s manuals and forms prior to taking htis course.
This course is designed to train a single employee. Using the same course to train multiple employees is prohibited.
Students will receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of the course.
The course consists of 23 hour of Video Instruction with 100 follow up questions distributed across the lessons.
Students will have access to the course for 90 days after purchase.
This course is non-refundable.
