Field Training Officer
Our FTO certification course turns FTOs into expert teachers.
Field Training Officer
Our FTO certification course turns FTOs into expert teachers.
California POST Certified: #1345-31725 – Plan N/A
Need certification for your state?
We are based in San Jose, California where the “San Jose Model” FTO concept was invented. This course teaches new FTOs how to teach, evaluate and document the progress of a trainee.
The reason our FTO program is so highly rated is that we teach our FTO students how to be expert teachers. After sending your FTO to our course, they are going to return to your agency the skills to not just evaluate, but to actually teach and mentor your trainees. They will learn specific ways to save a struggling trainee so you can reduce the number of trainees who fail your FTO program.
Whereas other FTO courses are known for being dry, and focused mostly on liability, we use dynamic instructors who employ the modern science of teaching and learning in a relaxed and enjoyable way. The instructors are passionate about giving your new FTO all the tools he or she needs to teach, evaluate and document a trainee’s performance.
In addition, our instructors are practitioners, not theorists. They have a ton of experience training new officers, so you’ll get to see how they use the course material in the real world.
This course is POST-certified in California and Idaho.
Contact Us to discuss POST certification in your state.
Here are 5 reasons that our students say FTOs need to take this course:
- Spend the course time teaching, evaluating, and documenting instead of listening to a dry lecture or “Death by Power Point”
- Learn from current and former FTOs and FTO Supervisors. Our instructors are practitioners, not theorists.
- Learn how to be an FTO through careful analysis of real-incident videos and role players
- You’ll receive lots of examples of evaluation reports and get plenty of practice writing them
- Learn specifically how to apply the number scale to rate trainees
Most agencies struggle with hiring and retaining quality recruits. Having well trained FTOs can make the difference between recruits successfully passing the Field Training Program or not.
Most agencies talk about the FTO being one of the most important positions in the department, but then don’t put much thought into the specifics of the training course they attend. They simply find an FTO course that has an opening for their FTO to attend and wait for them to come back with a certification. Unfortunately, some of the FTOs we polled didn’t feel adequately prepared by the certification course they attended. Consider what happens when an unprepared FTO is paired up with a struggling trainee?
You invest a lot of time and money into hiring a recruit, and your FTOs are responsible for getting those recruits through the Field Training Program. Their ability to teach, evaluate and document can make all the difference, especially when it comes to remediating a struggling recruit. Your FTOs are preparing your new officers to be the future of your department so FTOs need the proper training to do so.
Plus get access to 10 refresher training videos featuring our Savage Training Group FTO Instructors!
The learning doesn’t stop when you leave this course. Each FTO student will receive 10 separate training videos sent to them in the weeks and months after the course. That means that the learning doesn’t stop after you attend our course.
These videos are a $99 value. We’re including them here at no additional charge for students who complete the course!
Upcoming Presentations:
Field Training Officer
Oct 20 - 24 • Santa Cruz, CA
We know how important hiring and retaining new officers is to your agency, so we designed a course that ensures FTOs are ready to move that trainee successfully through the Field Training Program. For those trainees who must be let go, our course teaches FTOs how to thoroughly document the matter and avoid liability for the agency.
What are students are saying about the FTO Course:
Our FTO Instructors:
Senior Instructor Dominic Gamboa is a 28-year law enforcement veteran. He was an officer with the San Francisco Police Department for many years and is now a Sergeant with the Broadmoor Police Department (CA). Sure, he has the street experience to tell you what works and what doesn’t, but he’s also an expert-level instructor. Instead of “Death by Power Point”, Dom is known for captivating students and keeping them engaged.
Senior Instructor Eddie Chan is a current sergeant with the San Jose Police Department in California. Eddie has over 30 years of experience and spent over 14 years as a supervisor in the FTO Program. Eddie has participated in the training of hundreds of trainees and FTOs. Dozens of Eddie’s past recruits and FTOs went on to become Sergeants and command officers. He oversees all of Savage Training Group’s FTO training programs.
Garrett Slonicker is a current Field Training Officer with the San Jose Police Department. He has been a police officer since 2013 and his previous assignments include the Undercover Narcotics Enforcement Unit and being an academy instructor.
Jonathan Barerra is an active duty FTO with the San Jose Police Department in California with years of experience training both recruit and lateral police officers. His previous assignments include working undercover narcotics operations.
Bethany Torres is an active-duty FTO with the San Jose Police Department in California. Her previous assignments include the Specialist Program (patrol -based tactical assignment), UAS Pilot Program, and the Bureau’s Robbery and Gang Investigation Academies.
A Message from our FTO Instructors for Training Managers and FTO Supervisors:
“Teaching law enforcement officers is our passion, which is why we dedicated our careers to training cops. The reason we got together to take on the challenge of creating the best FTO course is because we know just how important it is. We have poured all of our law enforcement and teaching experience into this course and we can confidently say there is simply nothing else like it out there. Your FTOs are going to leave our course fully prepared and confident.”