Field Training: Does your agency have a program?

[N. A. Corbier]

I'm looking to see how many security firms use a formal Field Training program for their new hires. I have the following questions if your agency does:

1. How long is the FTO program, in terms of hours?
2. Were you always with your FTO, and if so, how long before you worked solo?
3. Was your FTO a supervisor?
4. Did you work one static post, or did you work multiple static posts and the FTO was with you at all?
5. What skills were you taught and evaluated on during your FTO phase?
6. Did the FTO write reports?
7. Could you of lost your job if you failed FTO?
8. Did you feel this was useful?

Please note: A formal FTO program is not "OJT" by the guard you are relieving on your first day. Its a program with employees who are there to do nothing but train, evaluate, mentor, and determine the fitness of probationary employees.

[Taktiq]

My last company had an FTO program, but I wouldn't even call it as such. All the alleged FTO did was do what an outgoing guard would do and cover the how's and why's and what's of the post. Pretty sad considering the company was owned by a former police officer. You'd think the FTO program would be a little more in depth. Of course this is also the company I railed against for using Nextels instead of hand held radios.

[CorpSec]

1. How long is the FTO program, in terms of hours?
2. Were you always with your FTO, and if so, how long before you worked solo?
3. Was your FTO a supervisor?
4. Did you work one static post, or did you work multiple static posts and the FTO was with you at all?
5. What skills were you taught and evaluated on during your FTO phase?
6. Did the FTO write reports?
7. Could you of lost your job if you failed FTO?
8. Did you feel this was useful?

1. 120 hours minimum but can be extended if objectives are not met.
2. The FTO is almost always with the trainee with the exception of sending a trainee on a round and watching their performance via CCTV.
3. It is usually a supervisor or designee. Ends up being about 70 percent with a boss.
4. The program entails all the posts the officer is required to man.
5. The basic skills for the job.
6. We don't write formal reports, just notes on areas that need improvement.
7. I wish we had some sort of probationary period but we don't.
8. A period with an FTO is absolutely essential IMO.

[NRM_Oz]

Wow an "FTO" - I have not heard that term for some 15 years now as these positions do not exist in our NSW industry. It has been replaced with - here is a book, read it, learn it and ask my any questions later ok ? All new bodies used to have to ride shotgun with the FTO or shift 2IC to learn the ropes, where to get the best coffee and meals and also what to listen to if someone is short responding to an incident and needed you to cover their region for an extra hour.

When you completed your 120 hours (10 shifts) you were able to complete any position from patrol to response to static response at a business park to Ops services to incident management. Now when I have had new people around they struggle to fill in a notebook let alone use a radio to place a call. I recall teaching 10 "head wobblers" how to use a radio before a shift as they were all working in my deployment of about 50 and were to be split into support groups but could not use a radio after 2 years service.

[JSam21]

1. How long is the FTO program, in terms of hours?
2. Were you always with your FTO, and if so, how long before you worked solo?
3. Was your FTO a supervisor?
4. Did you work one static post, or did you work multiple static posts and the FTO was with you at all?
5. What skills were you taught and evaluated on during your FTO phase?
6. Did the FTO write reports?
7. Could you of lost your job if you failed FTO?
8. Did you feel this was useful?


1. Our's is an 80 hour program, can be extended to 160 if the FTO feels its needed
2. Only time I wasn't with my FTO was lunch. I took my 30 mintues and then he took his. I would use that time to explore the campus. You can't work alone until you complete your min. 80 hours. Actually you weren't even given your uniform until you completed you 80 hours.
3. Nope. We have 2 FTO's per shift with one Charge FTO. The shift FTOs instruct in all in-service trainings.
4. While in training we are detatched from the regular duties. It gives you the freedom to roam around the entire campus and respond to calls that you wouldn't normally get to go to.
5. We have a 20 page folder that is nothing but a checklist. We are graded on just about everything from apperance and demenor to knowing were everything is.
6. See 5... that is our report card.
7. Of course... Its not called a probationary period for nothing.
8. You are damn right it was. It gave you time to actually go from one building to another and find out what needed to be done every night without having to be interupted by answering calls in between. Focused training is good training. It also allows the new officer to stand back and watch how different situations are handled by different officers. That is especially good for thoes who have never worked in this field before.

[BadBoynMD]

Companies i've worked for didn't have a "real" FTO program. It was basically a joke, you were put with "whoever", and it lasted from 40 to 80 hours. The main focus was to learn your property. You could listen all night to the radio, with supervisors telling officers how to deal with subjects, write reports, and the like. It's pretty ridiculous. You could be fighting someone, and can't get on the air only because some idiot didn't know how to write a parking violation.

However, with my company i've developed a FTO program.

1. How long is the FTO program, in terms of hours? Min. 160 hours riding with an FTO.
2. Were you always with your FTO, and if so, how long before you worked solo? After completion of the program, you are cut loose on your own.
3. Was your FTO a supervisor? FTO's aren't supervisor's, however if the FTO is not working that day/night, then the FTO rides with a supervisor.
4. Did you work one static post, or did you work multiple static posts and the FTO was with you at all? You would work a specific post, however would also venture to other posts as well. This way if another officer is in need of back-up, or the such, you have a clue as to where you're going.
5. What skills were you taught and evaluated on during your FTO phase?

A- General appearence

B - Attitude: acceptance of feedback, attitude towards the general public, police officers and fellow officers.

C - Knowledge of company policies and procedures. Criminal law, traffic law, and civil law.

D - Performance:
1. Driving
2. Response time to calls
3. Routine forms, report writing (accurracy, completeness, organization, details, spelling, grammer, neatness and timely).
4. Field performance (non-stress/stress problem solving and decision making). 5. Investigative ability (interview/interigation).
6. Self initiated field activity
7. Officer safety: General
8. Officer safety: Subjects/Detainees
9. Control of conflict: Voice command
10. Control of conflict: Physical skills
11. Radio: Appropriate use of codes, procedures, listens, comprehends and articulation of transmissions.

6. Did the FTO write reports? What type of reports are you referring to? If you mean incident reports, the FTO would do everything for the first week. The training officer would just simply observe and learn. After the first week the training officer would get more hands on, including writing all reports for the duration of the program. The FTO would do a daily observation report at the end of the watch.

7. Could you of lost your job if you failed FTO? Yes!

8. Did you feel this was useful? Yes!

Please note: A formal FTO program is not "OJT" by the guard you are relieving on your first day. Its a program with employees who are there to do nothing but train, evaluate, mentor, and determine the fitness of probationary employees.