Field Training Officer (FTO) Refresher
Online · Dec 14, 2026 · 8 hours · $199.00
Instructor
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Description
Prepare to safeguard your agency by elevating your skills in this intensive one-day refresher course. It’s been designed to sharpen your critical skills in legal defense, objective evaluation, and next-generation coaching, preparing you for the challenges of modern field training.
Learning Outcomes
Module 1: Foundation and Ethical Framework
Reiterate the FTO’s critical role in the agency’s training and socialization process, focusing on the transition from academy theory to practical application.
Identify and articulate the key ethical and legal responsibilities of an FTO, including adherence to agency policies and legal standards regarding equal employment opportunity and liability.
Module 2: Evaluation and Documentation
Identify various forms of cognitive bias in field training assessment and evaluation narratives.
Analyze hypothetical daily observation report (DOR) narratives and determine the accuracy and defensibility properties of the reports.
Module 3: Learning Strategies
Mastering the Kolb Cycle: Learn to align specific, proven instructional activities with the four distinct stages of the learning cycle to maximize knowledge transfer.
Develop Probing Questions: Create and use effective, analytical questions during the reflection stage to move learners beyond simple description and into deep analysis of their experiences.
Apply the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) Feedback Model: Define, communicate, and construct feedback statements (both positive and constructive) using the SBI Feedback Model for defensible, objective, and non-judgmental evaluations.
Enhancing Coaching Outcomes: Utilize the SBI Feedback Model to create a professional coaching environment that effectively reduces recruit defensiveness, improves learning, and requires you to revise common, ineffective feedback examples.
Module 4: Training the Next Generation: Understanding and Coaching Gen Z Recruits
Identify key characteristics that influence how Generation Z recruits learn, communicate, and respond to training.
Recognize common challenges Field Training Officers face when mentoring Gen Z recruits and how to address them constructively.
Apply effective communication and coaching strategies tailored to Gen Z’s learning preferences, including frequent feedback and clear explanations of purpose.
Incorporate motivational techniques that build engagement, accountability, and team connection among younger recruits.
Commit to one actionable change in your own training approach to better connect with and develop the next generation of officers.
Reflect on your own training styles and how these align (or clash) with Gen Z expectations.
Module 5: Coaching, Remediation, Documentation, and Mentoring
Identify early warning signs of a “problem recruit.”
Apply a structured coaching approach to correct performance or attitude issues.
Demonstrate professional communication skills that maintain accountability and respect.
Differentiate between unacceptable subjective feedback (opinion-based) and acceptable objective feedback (behavior-based) using examples relevant to policy violations.
Design a targeted, phased training intervention plan (separate from the standard curriculum) for a recruit struggling with a specific, recurring performance deficiency.
Learning Outcomes
Module 1: Foundation and Ethical Framework
Reiterate the FTO’s critical role in the agency’s training and socialization process, focusing on the transition from academy theory to practical application.
Identify and articulate the key ethical and legal responsibilities of an FTO, including adherence to agency policies and legal standards regarding equal employment opportunity and liability.
Module 2: Evaluation and Documentation
Identify various forms of cognitive bias in field training assessment and evaluation narratives.
Analyze hypothetical daily observation report (DOR) narratives and determine the accuracy and defensibility properties of the reports.
Module 3: Learning Strategies
Mastering the Kolb Cycle: Learn to align specific, proven instructional activities with the four distinct stages of the learning cycle to maximize knowledge transfer.
Develop Probing Questions: Create and use effective, analytical questions during the reflection stage to move learners beyond simple description and into deep analysis of their experiences.
Apply the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) Feedback Model: Define, communicate, and construct feedback statements (both positive and constructive) using the SBI Feedback Model for defensible, objective, and non-judgmental evaluations.
Enhancing Coaching Outcomes: Utilize the SBI Feedback Model to create a professional coaching environment that effectively reduces recruit defensiveness, improves learning, and requires you to revise common, ineffective feedback examples.
Module 4: Training the Next Generation: Understanding and Coaching Gen Z Recruits
Identify key characteristics that influence how Generation Z recruits learn, communicate, and respond to training.
Recognize common challenges Field Training Officers face when mentoring Gen Z recruits and how to address them constructively.
Apply effective communication and coaching strategies tailored to Gen Z’s learning preferences, including frequent feedback and clear explanations of purpose.
Incorporate motivational techniques that build engagement, accountability, and team connection among younger recruits.
Commit to one actionable change in your own training approach to better connect with and develop the next generation of officers.
Reflect on your own training styles and how these align (or clash) with Gen Z expectations.
Module 5: Coaching, Remediation, Documentation, and Mentoring
Identify early warning signs of a “problem recruit.”
Apply a structured coaching approach to correct performance or attitude issues.
Demonstrate professional communication skills that maintain accountability and respect.
Differentiate between unacceptable subjective feedback (opinion-based) and acceptable objective feedback (behavior-based) using examples relevant to policy violations.
Design a targeted, phased training intervention plan (separate from the standard curriculum) for a recruit struggling with a specific, recurring performance deficiency.
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