Boca Raton Police Department Field Training Program Operations PDF

BOCA RATON POLICE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Standard Operating Procedure 33.20 FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM OPERATIONS Revised: new I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this standard operating procedure is to establish detailed procedures for the operation of the Department’s Field Training Program. II. POLICY: It...

BOCA RATON POLICE SERVICES DEPARTMENT Standard Operating Procedure 33.20 FIELD TRAINING PROGRAM OPERATIONS Revised: new I. PURPOSE: The purpose of this standard operating procedure is to establish detailed procedures for the operation of the Department’s Field Training Program. II. POLICY: It shall be the policy of the Boca Raton Police Services Department to train newly-hired law enforcement officers (LEOs) in Department policies and procedures, officer safety techniques, as well as proper law enforcement practices through the use of a field training program. All employees associated with the Field Training Program (FTP) including Field Training Officers (FTOs), FTO supervisors, and trainees shall be acquainted with the operation of the FTP and the specific procedures regarding day-to-day operations, the use of the training manual, evaluations, and the reporting process. III. PROCEDURE: A. PHASE DESCRIPTIONS: 1. PHASE I: a. Phase I is the introductory phase during which time, the trainee will be taught certain basic skills including officer safety and others areas of potential liability to the organization and the trainee. b. An important element of this phase is the molding of the trainee's attitude toward the acceptance of training as the opportunity to learn from experienced LEOs and not seeing it just as something else they have to get through. 2. PHASE II: a. Phase II is somewhat more complex than the first phase and is sometimes identified as the phase in which a trainee begins to shed his/her unfamiliarity with his/her new role. Effective: January 22, 2014 Revised: Field Training Program Operations SOP No. 33.20 Page 1 of 9 b. The trainee begins to master the relevant LEO skills and become familiar with his/her new role. 3. PHASE III: a. Phase III, the last phase of formal training, is characterized by advanced training and the polishing of the skills obtained earlier. b. The trainee usually feels more comfortable with his/her new role. c. Phase III is an opportunity for the FTO to review the tasks previously accomplished and to be sure that the trainee is prepared for the final phase. 4. PHASE IV: a. Phase IV is designed to determine whether the trainee can effectively perform his/her duties autonomously. b. The FTO manual should have been completed prior to the trainee's entry into Phase IV. c. Phase IV lasts two weeks. d. To ensure that the trainee acts as the lead officer during this last phase, the FTO will follow in a separate car and not take any action except in instances where intervention is mandatory under the following circumstances: i. Officer safety ii. Illegal or unethical activity e. Upon completion of this final phase, the trainee will be assigned to the FSD as a solo officer provided he/she has satisfactorily completed the Manual requirements and is recommended for retention by the FTO Program. B. SCHEDULING CONSIDERATIONS: 1. ORIENTATION DAY: a. The first day the trainee reports to work, he/she will meet with the FTO supervisor or his/her designee and will receive a general orientation of the Department and the City. 2. LIMBO DAYS: a. The first days of Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III are referred to as Limbo Days because the trainee receives training in new skills or tasks during this period, but will not be rated on the Daily Observation Report. Effective: January 22, 2014 Revised: Field Training Program Operations SOP No. 33.20 Page 2 of 9 b. There is no Limbo Day at the beginning of Phase IV because the trainee should be well acquainted with the FTO and not need time for familiarization. 3. TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT OF FTOS: a. In the event the FTO has called in sick, the trainee will be reassigned for that day to another FTO. b. If another FTO is not available, the on-duty supervisor will assign the trainee to another senior law enforcement officer. c. The FTO or LEO temporarily assigned to the trainee shall complete a Daily Observation Report at the end of each day. C. TRAINEE MANUAL: 1. The Trainee Manual contains basic police responsibilities, tasks, and procedures. a. The FTO will use the Trainee Manual during the field-training period of police trainees. i. The FTO will explain each item, and when practical, demonstrate the task or procedure for the trainee. ii. When the FTO believes that the trainee is capable of handling a task, he/she shall require the trainee to perform the task while he/she observes. iii. At each stage, the FTO shall initial the appropriate column indicating that the particular task has been covered in that particular manner. b. The FTO will enter his/her name on the appropriate line, and indicate the phase the trainee is in, the shift working, and the training dates. c. When another FTO assumes responsibility, he/she will enter his/her name and pertinent information. d. The trainee shall maintain the Trainee Manual during all phases of field training and the FTO will check off each task. e. When the Trainee Manual is completed in its entirety, the trainee will sign the manual in the space provided and deliver it to the FTO who will forward it to the FTO supervisor. f. The FTO supervisor will review the completed manual and forward it to the Chief’s Office for proper storage. Effective: January 22, 2014 Revised: Field Training Program Operations SOP No. 33.20 Page 3 of 9 2. Each page of the Trainee Manual has a signature block within which are sections labeled INSTRUCTED/EXPLAINED, AND PERFORMED/TESTED, which are defined and explained as follows: a. INSTRUCTED/EXPLAINED: The ultimate aim of the program is to develop the trainee's competency; however, there are instances when actual task accomplishments cannot be achieved due to a lack of opportunity such as a homicide investigation. i. It is likely that, in sixteen weeks, the trainee may not have the opportunity to investigate a homicide. ii. When the FTO is unable to expose the trainee to a homicide investigation, he/she might decide to present a class using audio-visual aids and/or other props to maximize learning under these conditions. iii. While the trainee, in this instance, will not have had the opportunity to accomplish the investigative task at hand, a complete discussion of the task will occur. iv. The FTO, when satisfied that the trainee understands the material, will then place his initials in the INSTRUCTED/EXPLAINED section of the signature block. b. PERFORMED/TESTED refers to the FTO actually showing the trainee the desired method to accomplish the task. i. The trainee and the FTO shall practice and/or simulate the task and repeat it until the trainee and the FTO feel comfortable with the skill level shown. ii. The term refers to either the FTO or the trainee as the demonstrator. D. EVALUATIONS: 10.07 1. THE EVALUATION PROCESS: 2. Each trainee's progress, as he/she proceeds through the training program, is recorded through written evaluations. 3. Evaluations have many purposes including the following: a. To record and document a trainee's progress b. To inform the trainee of his/her performance level at a particular point in time c. Effective: January 22, 2014 Revised: To identify training needs and document training efforts Field Training Program Operations SOP No. 33.20 Page 4 of 9 d. To chronicle the skill and efforts of the FTO e. To tell a chronological story, category by category, of a trainee's successes and failures, improvements and digressions, and of the attempts to manage each of these occurrences 4. Each trainee shall be evaluated in a number of categories that cover as much of each aspect of the police work environment and responsibilities as possible. a. The Standardized Evaluation Guidelines are behavioral anchors that have been established to ensure that each FTO's rating of a trainee will be equal and standard throughout the program. b. The Standardized Evaluation Guidelines provide a definition, in behavioral terms, of Unacceptable, Acceptable, and Superior levels of performance that must be applied to all trainees, regardless of their experience level, time in the FTO and Evaluation Program, or other incidental factors. c. There are Standardized Evaluation Guidelines for every category listed on the front of the Daily Observation Report. 5. FTOs shall complete a DOR on each trainee by the end of the shift so that the trainee is provided the opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification not received earlier in the workday. 10.07 a. End of watch feedback also serves to reinforce instructions, criticism, and praise given during or after each earlier incident. b. DORs shall serve as a permanent record of the trainee’s progress as well as problem areas and remedial efforts to resolve them. c. The DOR reflects major areas that are divided into categories that cover the range of skills necessary to become a proficient law enforcement officer. d. By the end of the program, the trainee is expected to be proficient in these skills. e. A trainee's performance may be evaluated through actual performance of a particular skill or by verbal, written, or simulated testing. 6. When writing narrative portions of the evaluation, it is important to remember that the narrative should be clear-concise-complete-correct. The following suggestions will aid the writer in accomplishing these goals: Effective: January 22, 2014 Revised: Field Training Program Operations SOP No. 33.20 Page 5 of 9 a. Set the stage – give a description of the situation or conditions present: thereby placing the trainee's actions in context. b. Use verbatim quotes – report what was said rather than attempt to describe the effect of the words. c. Report the facts – avoid conclusions; let the facts speak for themselves. d. Remember the audience – who is going to read the report and what is it the report is trying to accomplish. e. Make sure that the grammar and spelling are correct and that the writing is legible. f. Speak to performance not personality – criticize the act not the person. g. Use lists if appropriate. h. Avoid slang, jargon, swearing, etc. 7. The End of Phase Summary Form is a tool completed by the FTO prior to the evaluation session for the FTO supervisor to recommend advancing a trainee to the next phase or extending the trainee for additional remedial purposes. The End of Phase Summary Form includes the following: 10.07 a. Strengths of the trainee b. Weaknesses of the trainee c. Remedial efforts exerted to resolve the weaknesses d. Recommendations for assignment, training, or remediation e. A recommendation for either advancement or extension f. Actions taken, e.g., extension, remedial programs, etc. 8. If a trainee is not progressing in the program and it has been determined that progress to a satisfactory level is not possible, termination may be the only logical option. a. FTOs sometimes go to extremes to save new employees who are failing, which is laudable, but not always fruitful. i. FTOs should never give up on a trainee who has the capability of succeeding but must be realistic towards those who do not. Effective: January 22, 2014 Revised: Field Training Program Operations SOP No. 33.20 Page 6 of 9 ii. Organizationally, the retention of an employee who is not capable of performing the job would place the trainee, and the Department, in an untenable position. b. Before a decision to terminate is made, the following questions must be asked: i. What are the trainee’s problems? ii. What is causing the trainee’s problems? iii. What has been done to overcome the problems? iv. How much remediation has been completed? v. Has there been any improvement after remediation? vi. What are the chances that the trainee will improve in the future? vii. Have we fully documented the problems and the remedial efforts? c. Once the answers to these questions have been reviewed, and the determination is to recommend termination, a meeting should be held between all FTOs who have trained the new LEO and the FTO supervisor to discuss the trainee's performance and to ensure that everything has been done to help the trainee make it through the program successfully. d. If a consensus to terminate is reached, the FTO supervisor shall meet with the FTP commander. 9. REPORT DISTRIBUTION: 10.07 a. All evaluations and other paperwork shall be reviewed by the FTO and trainee and delivered directly to the FTO supervisor before reaching the FTP files as soon as is practical. 10. STANDARDIZED EVALUATION GUIDELINES: 10.07 a. As part of the trainee manual the trainee will be given a set of Standardized Evaluation Guidelines that are the standards by which the trainee will be evaluated. b. The trainee will not be compared to tenured LEOs nor will he/she be compared to his/her peers. Effective: January 22, 2014 Revised: Field Training Program Operations SOP No. 33.20 Page 7 of 9 c. The guidelines have been developed to ensure that FTOs use the same standards when evaluating ALL trainees. d. The guidelines conform to the Daily Observation Report, which is a form that will be used to record the trainee's daily performance. i. The Daily Observation Report has categories under the general areas of APPEARANCE, ATTITUDE, KNOWLEDGE, PERFORMANCE, and RELATIONSHIPS that contain three evaluation standards, which are explained in behavioral or performance terms. ii. Performance ratings range from 1 through 7 with 1 being the minimum and 7 being the maximum. a) The first description is that of UNACCEPTABLE performance examples in each category and is recorded numerically as a "1" on the DOR. b) The second description is that of an ACCEPTABLE performance level in that same category and is recorded as a "4" on the DOR. c) The third description includes examples of SUPERIOR performance and is recorded as a "7" on the DOR. d) Numerical ratings of 2, 3 and 5, 6 are recorded for trainees whose performance levels lay in-between Unacceptable and Acceptable and between Acceptable and Superior. e. Evaluation by the standards ensures fair and equal evaluations of the trainee's performance by the various FTOs. f. The trainee should become familiar with the standardized guidelines so that he/she knows what is expected of him/her during the training period. 11. TIMELINESS IN THE REPORT PROCESS: a. It shall be the responsibility of the FTO to ensure that DORs are completed each day, turned into the FTO supervisor and that they are numbered properly. b. It shall be the responsibility of the FTO supervisor to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of DORs and that none are missing. c. Effective: January 22, 2014 Revised: All other reports have similar time constraints. Field Training Program Operations SOP No. 33.20 Page 8 of 9 E. EVALUATION SESSIONS: 1. TRAINEE EVALUATIONS: a. Evaluation sessions are held at the discretion of the FTO supervisor and the FTP commander. i. The trainee's progress to date, his/her performance strengths and weaknesses, and any remedial strategies used or intended are reviewed. ii. The objectivity of the FTO's ratings is reviewed with an eye to maintaining standardization. Each trainee's task list is reviewed to ensure that the training is up to date. iii. The meetings are designed to help the FTO in assisting the trainee in the satisfactory completion of the program. 2. FIELD TRAINING OFFICER EVALUATION SESSIONS: a. Evaluation sessions are integral to the program, but to be effective they must be well structured and properly moderated. Usually, the FTO supervisor will conduct the sessions. b. The meeting should begin or end with administrative matters needing discussion. c. The next item on the agenda should be discussion of trainee performance. d. The wrap-up of the meeting should include a brief summary of any actions or recommendations that need follow-up, who is responsible for the follow-up, and a due date for accomplishing the same. Approved: Daniel C. Alexander Chief of Police Effective: January 22, 2014 Revised: Date: Field Training Program Operations SOP No. 33.20 Page 9 of 9