Public Safety departments throughout the country utilize field training programs to help bridge the gap between what recruits learned in the academy and what real-life public safety duties entail. Field training programs are also used when employees transition to a new job within Law Enforcement, Jail, Dispatch, Fire, and EMS.
The two primary training programs for post-academy recruits in the United States are FTO (Field Training Officer) and PTO (Police Training Officer). Though the programs each have their distinctions, both see higher success when departments have the best training evaluation software in place.
Field Training Officer (FTO) Program
Referred to as the San Jose Model (SJ) or Field Training and Evaluation Program (FTEP), FTO programs exist to provide new hires/trainees the training they need to perform their job successfully. Trainees get the opportunity to maximize the transfer of academy learning to real-life performance in the field while under the direction, guidance, and feedback of an established field trainer. The quality of each trainee’s performance is recorded in detail in the form of daily observation reports. Upon successful completion of the program, new hires are deemed ready to function in a solo capacity.
Police Training Officer (PTO) Program
The PTO program was developed to serve as a problem-based and community-oriented alternative to the FTO model. In this program, trainees are assigned learning exercises and projects which focus on developing problem-solving skills, especially at a personal and individual level. While getting on-the-job training, recruits participate in journaling along with exercises that:
- Teach self-awareness and self-reflection skills.
- Enable them to evaluate themselves regarding their performance and learning.
- Solidify the importance of developing a community or neighborhood portfolio (detailed social, cultural, and geographical understanding) of the citizens they serve.
ADORE™: The Best in Observation and Evaluation Report Automation
Without efficient training programs for new hires, a high level of success in public safety operations is difficult to achieve. Obtaining and utilizing software that reduces errors and enables comprehensive, accessible performance evaluation documentation for these training programs is essential to every department.
MdE, Inc.’s ADORE™ software is designed to prevent weaknesses in field training documentation. As the industry leader in automating evaluation and observation reports for the public safety sector, this software allows both FTO and PTO program models to be used within the same department and even within the same division. ADORE™ makes efficiency the standard in several key areas of operations by providing:
– Dynamic reporting that provides instant overview of training status.
– Quick and easy-to generate performance reports for FTO, PTO, or custom models.
– A central location for all data relating to training programs and evaluations.
– Customization for your department’s specific program to increase productivity.
– A highly accessible database for the retrieval of reports and evaluations from many locations.
– A decrease in the need for paperwork and time spent reporting.
– Substantiation for promotion and termination decisions.
– Comprehensive analysis of training results for trend identification.
– Ability to automate FTO/PTO programs for any job, e.g. Sergeant, Dispatcher, Animal Control Officer, Jail Supervisor, Teletype, Detective, etc.
To learn about the additional capabilities of ADORE™ software or to get your department started with our industry-leading FTO and PTO reporting solution, call MdE, Inc. today at 1.877.500.5396.
