Page 12 - Argyle Police Officer Field Training Tips

As a general rule, whatever happens on your shift stays on your shift. Problems on your shift need to be
handled by your shift and your leadership team. Also, what is said in the patrol car, stays in the patrol
car.

Don’t answer shop your supervisors.
To those of you at larger agencies, when you can pick a partner with a lot more experience than you.
You’ll be tempted to choose a person you just graduated the academy with, but they won’t be able to
teach you anything and it won’t make either of you better.

Don’t be that guy! When everyone else is busy on calls and you haven’t received any calls, be patient.
Your call is coming, and it could be an officer assist. Whatever you do, don’t be the guy that starts
making traffic stops just to get activity or boost your stats during this time.
Save the nice watch, pen, necklace, and other personal items for your days off. The stuff you wear and
use on duty will get roughed up, broken, and even lost. The pens the agency uses will serve you just fine.
While on the subject of pens, always keep a few extras in your bag and an extra one in your shirt pocket.
Use mostly blue pens on duty, this will make it easier to tell the difference between a copy and an
original document.

Show some confidence, even when you are new. The people that called you out for an incident don’t
care that you are new, they just want the problem taken care of. A little confidence on your part will
help them feel better through the process and make them less likely to question your actions. If you do
your job and work hard, you may still be the new guy, but you’ll soon be operating like a seasoned
officer.

Apply common sense to situations too. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

Don’t expect to know everything when you complete field training. The rest of the department doesn’t
expect you to know everything either.

Always be able to explain and justify your actions. Your supervisor will occasionally have questions, the
arrestee may have questions, and other officers may have questions. They aren’t necessarily questioning
your actions, most of the time they just want to understand what is going on. Don’t take it personal.
Complaints will happen, sometimes even when you do everything right. Don’t let the possibility of
complaints affect the way you do your job. If you maintain your integrity, remain professional and
courteous, and follow procedures, you’ll be fine.

Pay attention to the officers you work with. You can learn what to do from most of them and what not
to do from a few of them.

When you discover drugs, don’t place them on the hood of your vehicle. If the suspect gets his hands on
them and eats them, you’ve not only lost your evidence. You are responsible for the suspects care if
they get sick or die, that comes back on you.

If you live in a city with dense neighborhoods or apartments, get out and walk around. It’s called a park
and walk, do it. The law-abiding folks will appreciate it and it will make the law-breaking folks think
twice about what they are doing.

Pg. 11 POLICE FIELD TRAINING CONCEPTS