Field Training Officers
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office places the
utmost priority on training as it has the strongest
impact on the public’s experience. Law enforcement is a unique career. The training
required to become an officer is so specialized as
to require months of intensive academy training
just to learn basics. Even then, an academy
graduate is not prepared to hit the streets. They
must then engage in an intensive Field Training
Program (FTP).
El Dorado County is served by some of our
country’s finest deputies. However, hiring
excellent employees is not enough. They must be
exemplary. An exemplary deputy is one of high
moral character, proficient in their job,
professional with honor and courage, and able to
implement positive change and improvements in
the community as leaders. Law enforcement
academies produce educated and excellent
deputies but the FTP is where they develop the
tools to become exemplary.
Molding a new Sheriff’s Deputy requires a
dedicated team of Field Training Officers (FTOs)
to lead the way. New deputies bring an array of
experience, cultures and backgrounds to their
patrol training. They share a common interest in
improving and preserving El Dorado County as
vested members of the community. To ensure
each member is suited to accomplish our
mission, a standardized training program is
utilized. It is called the Field Training Program.
The FTP consists of 880 hours (6 months) of
intensive and highly structured field training. It
begins with an orientation of El Dorado County
including landmarks, neighborhoods, hot spots,
schools and other law enforcement related
locations. They receive extra training and
certification in less lethal options, firearms,
weaponless defense tactics and constitutional
law. New deputies are front-loaded with the
skills and knowledge to facilitate success before
they enter a patrol car.
Every new deputy is assigned to a variety of FTOs.
This promotes a balance of experience,
specialties and learning styles to encourage
growth. The new deputy is routinely quizzed,
tested and must demonstrate their judgment and
decision-making under the watchful eye of the
FTO. Each step of the process is called a phase.
The purpose of each phase is to transform the
new deputy from the FTO's trainee, to their
partner. The new deputy is evaluated daily on
their knowledge, attitude and performance. The
final two weeks is the new deputy’s opportunity
to prove they no longer need their FTO.
Completion of the program is rewarding for all
involved and is celebrated.
FTOs are certified trainers. They attend Peace
Officer Standards and Training (POST) courses
with regular updates. They are trained in adult
learning techniques, learning styles, leadership,
and some are POST certified instructors in a
variety of topics. FTOs are often called upon to
provide in-service training to veteran deputies.
FTOs meet frequently and collaborate with the
FTO supervisor to ensure the program is meeting
or exceeding our goals. Our community gained
many new, exemplary deputies this year due, in
part, to the efforts of the FTP.
Hiring and training new deputies has a long
lasting impact on our community and agency.
Many new employees will retire with the county
after 25-30 years of service. The training that a
deputy receives during the FTP provides the
foundation for their entire career. Trainees
eventually become trainers, supervisors and
administrators of the Sheriff’s Office. Success of
this program is most evident in the positive
interactions with the hundreds of citizens
encountered daily. The way we enforce laws,
keep peace, improve quality of life and uphold
civil liberties begins with the best training. The
level of enforcement, care and professionalism
FTOs instill in new deputies will continue to
resonate through generations of El Dorado
County citizens.
7
-Homer
Ancient Greek Author & Poet
"No man ever reached to excellence in any art or profession without having passed through the slow and painful process of study and preparation."