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ARFEE: Training comes up short

| August 3, 2014 9:00 PM

Interesting reading about the various agencies training around here. One thing I noticed is none said what kind of training after the academy.

Academy training is just the basics and really does nothing to prepare you for the job, it basically is on the job training. It is your training officer who really makes the difference.

I am not saying that the agency I retired from is the best (Los Angeles County Sheriff), but here is what we did.

Our training consisted of a minimum of six months with two training officers. Three months each with a different officer, each evaluating your daily experiences. This was in case of personality conflicts and being exposed to two different seasoned officers experiences. Riding in the same car with your training officer for six months gives you a good idea of what your new officer is capable of. All of these evaluations being monitored by the training Sargent. You want to feel stress, trust me having someone watch your every move for six months is stress, but nothing compared to the real world later on.

Now it is possible a small department might not feel they could afford to pay two people in one car for six months, but the cost might be offset by a lawsuit down the road.

GEORGE SILVA

Coeur d’Alene