NCJ Number
120642
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 37 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1989) Pages: 82-84
Date Published
1989
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Members of police officer field training programs must be well-trained initially and receive continuing inservice training.
Abstract
Updated instruction should be provided for all trainers at least annually to keep them current and highly motivated, since research shows that 80 percent of most newly learned information is lost within the first 24 hours of instruction. Police officers with minimal instruction in teaching techniques, often gained from brief seminars, cannot be expected to teach and evaluate new police recruits effectively. Training managers must be aware of legal issues associated with training, such as negligent retention, failure to train, failure to supervise, and vicarious liability. Police training officers must make a professional commitment to themselves and to the organization of which they are members. The organization must support and make training classes available that facilitate the officer's role as a trainer, observer, and evaluator. The same inservice training required of the medical profession should be required of police training officers who have the responsibility for teaching new recruits the skills and information necessary to perform police work.