Field Training Officer (FTO) Program
Program Structure
Our program stresses learning the essential aspects of police
work. Other training material that is nice to know but non
essential is taught as time and opportunity permit.
Memorization of material that is readily available in books,
manuals, and reference handouts has been eliminated with the
exception of critical policies (use of force, pursuit, search
and seizure, arrests, etc.). Additionally, we have gone away
from a time based program in favor of a program based on
requirements and
proficiency at those requirements.
Mesa uses a four-phase, nineteen-week FTO Program that
exposes the (Officer in Training) OIT to at least three FTOs.
The OIT returns to the first phase FTO during the fourth phase.
An OIT rotates through two of the four districts of the city
during the FTO Program. When the OIT completes the FTO Program,
the OIT is assigned to one of the districts.
In years past, the Mesa FTO Program was rigidly structured to
last 19 weeks. The first phase was a 6 week phase, the first
week of which was a limbo week without any documentation. The
limbo week assisted the OIT in acclimating to his new
environment. It also gave the FTO a chance to show the OIT his
beat and the way that the FTO performed the job. The second and
third phases were each 5 weeks long with one limbo day at the
start of each phase. The first two weeks of the 3 week fourth
phase consisted of the FTO's riding with the OIT as an observer
and intervening only if the OIT does not comply with the
law/policy or was about to cause unnecessary injuries or
damage. The last week of the fourth phase consisted of the OIT
in a beat car by himself handling calls on his own. The FTO
rode in a separate patrol car and he would "shadow" the OIT on
calls. From a distance, the FTO would confirm that the OIT was
able to handle calls on a solo status in a proficient manner.
Realizing that all people learn at different rates, the Mesa FTO
Unit has modified its program to a
Proficiency Program, which
stresses requirements and proficiency vs. a rigid timeline.
When the OIT completes the phase requirements and is proficient
at those requirements, he moves to the next phase. What were
Phase Change Meetings at five, ten, and fifteen weeks are now
FTO Change Meetings. Even if the OIT completes a phase early,
the OIT will stay with the same FTO until the next FTO Change
Meeting. If an OIT completes the fourth phase and is ready to
go solo, the OIT is assigned to a patrol car to work a beat, but
the sergeant still completes the Sergeant's Weekly Evaluation on
the OIT through week nineteen of the FTO Program. In this way,
the department has an officer on the street for staffing
purposes, but the FTO Unit still has jurisdiction over the OIT
if training issues arise.
For details on requirements for each phase, download the
Checklist.