Mastering Law Enforcement Field Training

1.1: The Framework of Field Training

• Develop a foundational understanding of different field training programs used in law enforcement.
• Compare and contrast training concepts and formats from the two most popular field training models.
• Identify the challenges and successes of each field training model.
• Develop ideas on how to use the models to shape your field training program.
• Assess how the historical models can be used to form training concepts for the future.

1.2: Liability

• Identify liabilities associated with field training.
• Review internal affairs cases and field training issues, analyzing how they relate to the accountability and liability of field training officers.
• Examine the negative influences of poor training design on officer performance that substantiates civil liability.
• Review the Fadhl v. San Francisco civil case and associate its findings with discrimination in field training.
• Recognize situations of higher liability.
• Develop strategies to minimize individual and department exposure to liability.

1.3: Generations

• Compare and contrast the distinctions between generational members.
• Identify generational characteristics and create tailored communication styles that foster motivation and understanding.
• Explore new learning strategies that are both generation specific, as well as shared across generations.
• Develop ideas on how to use existing resources to address the needs of diverse generational learning requirements.
• Identify your generational traits and evaluate the impact they may have for training new officers.
• Develop strategies to achieve greater success training diverse generational officers.

2.1: Identifying Training Priorities

• Explain the importance of training new officers in calls for service and create a priority list of calls and encounters in your agency.
• Create a list that identifies the most frequent calls or situations that your agency encounters.
• Create a list that identifies the most important calls or situations that your agency encounters.
• Utilize the lists to develop priority training strategies for the FTO program.

2.2: Training the Brain

• Identify the functions of key portions of the brain.
• Relate the function of key portions of the brain to performance.
• Associate the nine brain principles to police performance and how they are important in training new officers.
• Explain the psychological and physiological effects of stress.
• Demonstrate stress-relief techniques and provide examples of how to teach them to new recruits.

3.1: Training Hacks

• Share effective training strategies and techniques.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among participants.
• Discuss strategies for creating interactive and engaging training sessions.
• Identify techniques for keeping learners motivated and focused.
• Create strategies for addressing common training challenges (e.g., time constraints, budget limitations, lack of resources).

3.2: Training Transfer Officers

• Create a list of positive and negative points of training officers with prior experience.
• Compare and contrast the positive and negative points of hiring transfers from another agency.
• Identify training needs of officers coming from out-of-state.
• Identify key considerations for creating a training plan for transfer hires.
• Evaluate the training needs that accompany a transfer hire.
• Create training approaches for problematic transfer hires.

3.3: Errors, Slips, Lapses, and Mistakes

• Define and associate the three human performance principles to recruit training and mistakes.
• Define and associate errors, slips, lapses, and mistakes in the field training environment.
• Create a list of mistakes recruits make during training and explain elements that support mistakes.
• Develop training strategies to minimize mistakes.
• Associate training errors to System 1 and System 2 thinking.
• After viewing a video or reading a scenario, identify mistake(s) that were made then, using a scientific approach, identify why mistakes were made, and develop a plan on how to address them.

4.1: Performance Assessments

• Outline the critical outcomes training assessments produce.
• Examine how bias plays a role in assessments.
• Outline key elements of written assessments.
• Give examples of the differences between formal and informal assessments.
• Explain the importance of using standard evaluation guidelines (SEGs) for effective assessments.
• Identify the importance of documenting progress.
• After viewing a video, complete a detailed assessment, explaining the key components.

4.2: Evaluations

• Establish clear evaluation guidelines based on performance standards.
• Identify the essential components of a performance evaluation.
• Identify the importance of documenting recruit evaluations.
• Identify and avoid evaluation pitfalls relating to performance evaluations.
• Develop and associate criteria to be evaluated.