Help With FTO

[Petro6golf]

You have years to make friends but only a few months to prove yourself. Keep your mouth shut and your ears open. If you have a question ask it but dont think people will be buddy buddy with you.

Be polite and professional and have a plan to deal with everyone you meet.

Always think about the "what if" scenarios in your head. What if theres a gunman in the parkinglot of the office? What if this guy refuses to do as I say? What if I drive up to a 245 in progress while on routine patrol? Thinking about these things will help prepare you for when they do happen because they will and do.

Dont be a dick. You might deal with 20 people a day but most people only deal with the police a few times in their life. People remember how you act and treat them. You know the people that are trash/ criminal scum; those people deserve the robot typical cop attitude. The rest deserve a smile and good service. Even if its a stupid call that you think to yourself "man this is ridiculous", its important to the person who called. Yes people will complain about you but people will also call the chief/ sheriff and tell them you did a good job and helped them. Thats what your here for.

Dont be afraid to snatch someone up and take quick action. If your heart and mind are in the right place then you cant go wrong. And last but not least, stay away from the guy who is always *****ing and complaining. People know who he is and take note of that stuff. The malcontent attitude will get you no where.

[DriftinG Z32]

1.) Be assertive.
2.) Have command presence.
3.) Use common sense.
4.) Study policy (use of force / shooting / pursuit).
5.) Beat orientation & integrity.
6.) Geography (main thoroughfare /side streets & alleys).

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Don't be hesitant to put hands on detainees/suspects. I not talking about using force, but don't wait to control/hand cuff a suspect who needs it. Quite a few trainees look for direction from their FTO before taking action that needs to be quick and decisive. That goes for taking the initiative at a call after you already have handled a symilar call and should know what to do by then. Don't just sit there waiting for your FTO to tell you what to do if you already experienced a situation like that. Showing initiative shows eagerness and that you are applying what you are learning.

All of the above. It is much better for your FTO to pull you back than to have to kick you in the butt to go talk to people you contact.

Do thorough searches

Display enthusiasm and motivation at all times

Suck it up and don't take getting treated like **** personal when you are a trainee.

Don't crash the car once you start driving (It is easy to do..trust me)

Take prepackaged or unmessy food that is quick to eat, and does not need to be heated up or will spoil in the heat. You can scarf in the car while Daddy meets the boys for a cup.

Don't take your posse box with you when you get out of the car at a call. Make sure situations are always X4 before you get your hands tied up carrying crap.

Don't sit in the radio car with the door closed while you are writing a cite!!

Keep your windows down and your ears open.

Be careful and have fun!

[nickbackouris]

I'm interested to see how your training is going. What area are you working in?

Also, one that I don't think has been said yet and some things that trainees do that really bug me.

-If your FTO/CPL corrects you on something, don't screw it up again. You will screw things up, but you generally only get one chance after being shown how to do it.

-Don't tell me how much you know/studied/etc. It's not that I don't care, I'm glad you're studying, but there is a HUGE difference between memorizing and using the information in the real world. Plus if you stay silent and don't toot your horn, you will look that much better when you nail something.

-Don't drive like an idiot. Department's are cracking down on accidents....and you'll spill my coffee. That's a 1 for the day.

-You will be hesitant at first to touch people. Get over that quickly, you'll be better for it.

-Sir and Ma'am EVERYONE, even after they tell you to stop.

-Have fun, you won't believe the things you'll see. Don't take things home, unless they made you laugh. This will be the most fun you will never want to have again.

One thing I tell all my trainees: (Someone got close)

"Treat everyone you meet with dignity and respect, but always have a plan to kill them."

BE SAFE, and make sound decisions.

[Armed24-7]

There are a lot of good comments above.

One thing I see trainees having a lot of difficulty with is coordinating priority or emergency calls on the radio (burglary in progress, robbery in progress, other high risk stuff). They also have difficulty with crime broadcasts on the radio. A lot of it has to do with lack of practice or lack of confidence.

One thing I always did at the end of the night was give my trainee a detailed scenario and I made them take their voice recorder home and practice on the recorder until they had a perfect broadcast or coordination on the recorder. The following day they had to play it for me. This worked even for some of the most challenging cases.

You might feel a bit silly, but it works and it will help you quite a bit. You would be amazed at all the mistakes you hear yourself make when you listn to yourself. It will also make you sound more confident on the radio and that can make an impression on veteran officers who hear it in the field.

ALWAYS tell the truth, even if you make a mistake. Mistakes can often times be fixed, lying cannot. Lying will get you fired or worse. Integrity is everything, especially when it comes to pitches motions.

[jaysen]

Holy Hell... All of you should be ashamed of yourselves. Not ONE person mentioned the most important rule a trainee should follow; always know where we are going for lunch and Don't say "it's up to you, sir"!

Only thing I require of my trainees is a deep pocket for 7!

/sarcasm

Lots of good comments/suggestions already given... Here are a few of mine;

Always keep a notebook/stenopad with a pen nearby. One of those flip ones preferably that fit in your pocket. Do not confuse this with an FI book, or pad used for taking notes on your calls. Use this book to jot down names of landmarks with intersections, areas/neighborhoods/buildings your FTO points out, Gang boundaries, etc .

As an example in my City we have a lot of apartment buildings that have changed names at least 3-5 times since I've been there - . No one knows the current name, but knows the name "back in the day".

Always remember when it feels like it cannot get any worse because you've ****ed up so bad, IT most definitely will.... That super uber car stop you made where you picked up 4lbs of dope, 16 guns, and nabbed 3 homicide suspects means nothing if your partners cannot trust you with their life or depend on you as a beat partner.

Seniority means nothing to some of these new boots I see coming in - Don't let that be you. Learn it. Know it. Respect it.

Above all else YOU MAKE CERTAIN you and your FTO come home at night...

[DR296]

Pay attention.
Refrain from saying "But in the academy we did it this way"
If you are talking then your not listening

[CinnamonBear723]

Thank you everyone for the encouragement and words of wisdom. For those of you who asked what agency, all I will say is that it is in orange county. With everything going on these days, I am hesitant to post specific information on the internet. Made it through week one. So far my FTO is very fair. He lets me handle as much as I can on my own, and screw everything up, but will step in if I'm totally floundering. I certainly still have a lot to learn. Only 29 years and 51 weeks to go.

[Unit74]

Ol JD Buck Savage has some tips......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIKaCdiRDsU&sns=em