NCJ Number
220100
Journal
THE POLICE CHIEF Volume: 74 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2007 Pages: 114-118,121
Date Published
August 2007
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes the development and implementation of the Police Training Officer (PTO) program within the Reno, Nevada Police Department (RPD) in 2001 offering a contemporary approach to postacademy recruit training.
Abstract
The innovative Police Training Officer (PTO) program is expanding into training academies and law enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada. Preliminary indications are that PTO trained officers enter the field with problem-solving skills rarely seen before at such an early point in law enforcement careers. In addition, PTO trained officers may possess greater leadership potential. It provides today’s officers with the necessary knowledge, skill, and abilities for protecting modern society. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services provided grant funding for the Reno, Nevada Police Department (RPD) to study police training and develop a new post-academy training program; an enhancement to the outdated Field Training Officer (FTO) program. In 2001, the new PTO program was implemented and deployed within the RPD. Since this time, the program has been implemented in five other locations (Georgia, Massachusetts, Colorado, California, and North Carolina). The PTO program covers two primary training areas: substantive topics and core competencies. The four substantive topics, which define the key phases of training, are non-emergency incident response, emergency incident response, patrol activities, and criminal investigation. The 15 core competencies identified as essential include: police vehicle operations, conflict resolution, use of force, local procedures, policies, laws, and organizational philosophies, report writing, leadership, problem-solving skills, community-specific problems, cultural diversity and special needs groups, legal authority, individual rights, officer safety, communication skills, ethics, lifestyle stressors/self-awareness/regulation, learning activities, and evaluation activities. The PTO program contains eight phases: Orientation Phase, Integration Phase, Phase A, Phase B, midterm evaluation, Phase C, Phase D, and final evaluation. The RPD found the PTO approach to be highly adaptable and appropriate for training and evaluating personnel. Figure, notes