Police Field Training Officer Program - Admission/Application Essay Example

Started by San Jose police department, FTO is a Field Police Training program that provides practical training to new police graduates. The aim of this program is to provide on-filed training to newly graduated police officers to make them apply their knowledge and skills in real life police practices. The training helps graduates become accustomed with the requirements of practical policing. In the FTO program, the officers are assigned to experienced training Officers for on-field training and evaluation that lasts up to 17 weeks.

“The FTO Program is also responsible for coordinating and conducting the POST mandated 40 hr. Field Training Officer Seminar for all new field training officers and sergeants” (San Jose Police Department [SJPD], 2012). The sergeants and field-training officers not only train new police graduates but also assess their on-field performances to certify them for solo patrol duty. The training program helps graduates become solo beat officers at the end of the 17-weeks training. Upon completion of the training program, each graduate is asked to work under supervision of a patrol team for further evaluation.

This is known as the probationary period for new officers. This is the time when sergeants evaluate the performance of their assigned graduate officers once in every two weeks. At the end of the probationary period, the top authorities of the FTO program calls each of the officers for a formal oral board assessment to know their individual performances as solo beat officers. The officers who show acceptable performances and meet all performance standards get the opportunity to work as permanent employees.

In the FTO program, supervisors explain the performance rating criteria to graduate officers to make them aware of what they need to do to achieve their permanent positions in the police department. Officers in FTO program need to meet the set of performance standards in order to be known as a solo patrol duty officer (SJPD, 2012). They not only need to show at least an above-standard performance on two successive evaluations but also need to be approved by at least two of their recent sergeants before being certified for their permanent positions in the police department.

Candidates have to show at least above standard performance in the 16-hours per month training sessions.The program does not seem to be to affecting the affirmative action efforts because it is designed to make officers aware of their on-field job responsibilities, as well as to make them perform in a real environment. There is nothing negative regarding this program as it is aimed towards the establishing peace in the society. The program trains new officers in practical environment to prepare them for their roles as solo patrol duty officers.

To make the FTO program workable and beneficial for newly graduate officers, authorities need to overcome some key barriers, such as, lack of proper funding, lack of community support towards on-training officers, and lack of interest of new officers as many of them want to join the police department upon completion of their studies without training.ReferencesSan Jose Police Department. (2012). Field Training and Evaluation Program — Purpose and Description. Retrieved from http://www.sjpd.org/BFO/FieldTraining/