Page 10 - Argyle Police Officer Field Training Tips

Tips for new officers

You just started your career as a police officer. This isn’t a job that just anybody can do. The career path
you have chosen is very honorable, it allows you to contribute to society, and can be very rewarding.
However, it will put you in some very dangerous situations. You will be put in situations that scare you
and that is okay, it’s what you do when scared that matters. Only some people were made capable of
being the police. If you have doubts about which one you are, do not wait until you’re in a fight to find
out this isn’t right for you.

Be the co-worker you want others to be and it will catch on. For example, if another officer is catching a
lot more calls than you, offer to take some of them. When you arrive on the scene of another officer,
the first thing you should ask is what can you do to help.

Treat everyone with more respect than they treat you. Overtime, this will increase everyone’s respect
toward you. Also, remember that when people mouth off to you, they are doing it to the uniform and
not you personally. So, ignore it and move on. The moment you respond, you drop to their level and
become emotionally involved. That is difficult to come back from and can hinder your judgement.
A difference between you and the other people you deal with is a few months of training and integrity.
Always, always maintain your integrity.

Police work is unpredictable and complex. You are new and you’re going to make mistakes. Get over it.
Nobody expects you to be great early on, just do the job and learn from it. You are expected to improve
with time and experience, though. Most officers reach an acceptable level of competency in about 18
months.

Rookies are known to accidentally say silly stuff on camera. When it happens to you, just take the verbal
counseling, learn from it, and move on. We’ve all done it.

Don’t let people rush you. Slow things down, think it through, and use good judgement to do things right
the first time. The ability to assess and act properly is one of your most important skills and rushing
things will increase the chances of failure in this area. Don’t be afraid to ask questions either. I assure
you someone has done it before, so ask. (I recommend you ask your peers before your sergeant)

I’ll say it again because it is very important. ASK QUESTIONS! There are many bad incidents that could
have been avoided if someone had just asked a few questions.

Field training is one of the most important times of your career. Take it very seriously because the skills
you learn may one day save your life or the life of another person.

You’ve got 20 to 30 years to enjoy a career as an officer, please don’t try to do it all in the first year.
Pace yourself. There is no need to cite every single violator you stop and arrest every single person you
find committing a crime. You are allowed some discretion, use it.

Listen to your FTO. Your FTO is responsible for you. That means they will only give you the best training,
advice, and direction they can offer. Their job is simply to teach, evaluate, and grade so don’t get upset
if they aren’t being friendly toward you. You guys can be friends after you pass training. Lean on them
for advice when you get out of training as well.

Pg. 9 POLICE FIELD TRAINING CONCEPTS