Field Training Officer Certification

Registration Deadline: November 11, 2025 

PURPOSE OF COURSE:  
To train current law enforcement officer’s effective teaching and documentation strategies to assist transitioning newly hired police officers from the academy training environment to solo patrol duties. 
 

COURSE OVERVIEW:  
A Police Field Training Officer is tasked with receiving a police academy graduate and facilitating an intense learning experience in a manner that effectively transitions a new officer to an officer that is prepared for solo patrol functions.  A Field Training Officer (FTO) operates as a lone teacher, mentor, and supervisor for a new department member.  This course serves to outfit FTOs with the skillsets to effectively relay their knowledge and experience with procedures, tactics, and other skills applicable to preparing new officers to safely and effectively provide police services within their communities.  Students will learn and demonstrate effective adult teaching methods, dynamic and tabletop scenario development, lesson plan development, performance documentation, remediation, learn about impacts of stress, managing challenging students, liability issues, communication methods, teaching strategies, and leadership. 

COURSE STRUCTURE:
1.    Orientation, program structure, expectations
2.    Identify and address current problems and trends within the law enforcement career field and its relevance to FTOs.
3.    Identify and address current problems and trends within law enforcement leadership and its relevance to FTOs.
4.    Identify and address current challenges in FTO programs.
5.    Understand and demonstrate various communication strategies for effective teaching.
6.    Manage challenging students and developing strategies for teaching
7.    Understand and demonstrate adult teaching strategies.
8.    Understand the effects of stress on students and develop lesson balances for effective teaching
9.    Understand student directed learning and experiential learning and incorporate it into daily lessons
10.  Understand block versus random training
11.   Learn and develop safe and effective dynamic, tabletop, and teach back scenarios
12.   Understand and discuss liabilities of the FTO process
13.   Performance Documentation

COURSE PRE-REQUISITES: 
Sworn Law Enforcement

METHODS OF EVALUATION:
Students will be required to demonstrate learned abilities through practical demonstration, written communications, and group discussion. The instructor will evaluate student’s cognitive retention of topics based on their participation and performance throughout the various practical exercises. Evaluation forms will for this course will provide the instructor and course facilitators with student’s perception of the instructor’s effectiveness in material presentation. NITAB will provide all students an electronic evaluation to evaluate the instructor and course content. 

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION: 
Classroom Lecture, Table-top exercises, skill development exercises, group exercises and drills, facilitation of discussion.  

COURSE REFERENCES: 
USAF Combat Arms Instructorship Development, USAF Airman Leadership School, FBI-LEEDA Supervisor Leadership Institute, FBI-LEEDA Command Leadership Institute, FBI-LEEDA Executive Leadership Institute, Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching, Learner Lab, World Institute for Action Learning

COURSE REQUIREMENTS/GRADING POLICY:
Students must demonstrate understanding of course material through demonstration. 

RECOMMENDED INSTRUCTIONAL AIDS: 
Classroom with overhead projection, computer, internet connection, and white board. 

ATTENDANCE POLICY:  
This is a state certified course. As such, no more than 10% of this course may be missed. The lessons are designed to build upon each other and therefore full attendance is strongly recommended.  Should a student require any absence from this course, it is the student’s responsibility to relay the absence to the instructor. 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Northern Illinois Training Advisory Board (NITAB) supports a strict policy on academic integrity.  While a majority of this course is discussion based with group exercises, there are some portions where students must work alone.  In lone exercises students will be responsible for their own development and research.  

SAFETY PROTOCOLS: This course is classroom based without physical or dynamic scenarios and therefore protocols for most tactical training courses will not be applicable.  The instructor should provide clear directions to evacuation routes in the event of an emergency.

THIS IS NOT A PUBLIC MEETING