Introduction to Supervision
Step into your new role as a sergeant with the confidence to know you’re doing it right
Introduction to Supervision
Step into your new role as a sergeant with the confidence to know you’re doing it right
Being promoted to a supervisor is the most challenging transition you’ll ever make. Officers expect strong leadership. Command staff expects accountability. The public expects professionalism. But are agencies providing the coaching and mentoring needed to get promoted and then the training new sergeants need to actually lead on the street? Unfortunately, the answer is usually no.
Introduction to Supervision
A 16-hour course for current and aspiring police sergeants
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Stepping into a supervisory role is one of the hardest shifts in a law enforcement career. Expectations come from every direction: officers look for guidance, command staff demands results, and the public expects consistent professionalism. Yet many agencies have no program to help you steer your career towards promotion and worse, have no training program to help new supervisors actually do the job.
That gap leaves far too many new supervisors feeling overwhelmed, unsupported, and unsure of where to begin.
Savage Training Group created this Introduction to Supervision course to change that.
This 16-hour workshop gives new and aspiring supervisors the practical skills and street proven leadership mindset they need to build credibility, manage people, and guide their team through both routine day to day matters and high stakes critical incidents. Instead of hoping you are ready, you will walk away with clear frameworks, actionable skills, and a solid understanding of what real supervision looks like in the field and inside your organization.
This Course Is For You If:
- You are a current or aspiring corporal or sergeant
- You want to bridge the gap between the stripes on your sleeve and the skills needed to actually lead people.
- You want to avoid the common traps that new supervisors fall into, like overcorrecting, under communicating, or trying to simply copy the leadership style of whoever trained you.
- You want a roadmap for making sound decisions in stressful situations and building a team culture that performs well even when no one is watching.
- You want to be the supervisor the team trusts to show up on scene, and immediately bring order, clarity, and leadership.
What You Will Learn
This workshop blends practical leadership principles with real-world case studies and scenario-based discussions. This course teaches you:
How to excel in your promotional process
Get insider guidance on how to prepare for and succeed in the promotional process. We want to make sure you crush it!
The real role of a first line supervisor
Understand what actually matters on the street and in the station, and how to prioritize what deserves your attention.
Compassionate leadership that still holds people accountable
Learn how to motivate, correct, coach, and influence performance without becoming the overly harsh or overly passive supervisor everyone avoids.
How to lead during critical incidents
Build a calm, methodical leadership presence that helps your officers succeed under pressure.
An introduction to administrative investigations
Know what your responsibilities are when complaints, misunderstandings, or misconduct arise and how to avoid the pitfalls that sink inexperienced supervisors.
How to become a stronger communicator
Master the communication skills that build credibility, reduce conflict, and help you manage both upward and downward.
A Message for Police Administrators:
You know that first line supervisors are the most important rank in the department. It’s time you gave your people a framework to not only get promoted but also be an effective supervisor. Your agency invests in equipment, technology, and compliance. This course is a good way to invest in the people responsible for leading your officers.
What This Course Is Not
Too many police leadership classes rely on outdated instructors, tired theories, and activities that have nothing to do with real supervision. You deserve better than:
- Long debates about leadership versus management that never help you lead your team
- Movie clips followed by forced discussions that do nothing for real world performance
- Group exercises where someone writes “good leader” traits on a poster for the tenth time in your career
We are not here to fill time or check a box.
This course was built from the ground up to be the class we wish we had when we first stepped into supervision. It’s short, highly relevant, and not death by power point.
Upcoming Presentations:
Curriculum
- How Do You Know When You Are Ready to Promote?
- Developing a Growth Mindset
- Identify Your Weaknesses and Blind Spots
- Preparing for the Written Test, Scenarios and the Oral Interview
- Relationships
- Personnel Issues
- How to Write an Employee Evaluation
- Running Critical Incidents and In Progress Crimes
- Officer Involved Shooting Incidents
- Personnel Complaints and Internal Affairs Investigations
- The Supervisor’s Response to Use of Force Incidents
- Managing Crime Scenes
- Reviewing Police Reports
- A Certificate of Completion Stating You Completed Intro to Supervision Training
FREE GUIDE
How Not to Fail the Sergeant’s Oral Board Interview
Download this exclusive complimentary guide packed with strategies for the day you come before your interview panel.
Get Promoted
Get a behind the scenes look at how promotional decisions are made and what you can do to position yourself to be the #1 candidate.
Become a Great Sergeant
Just because you were promoted doesn’t mean the learning should stop. Learn how to be effective in 10 key areas of being a police sergeant.
Meet Your Instructors:
This course is taught by respected leaders with decades of supervisory and command-level experience. Each brings a unique perspective from different sized agencies, assignments, and leadership challenges.
Senior Instructor John Morris recently retired as a Lieutenant from the Winston-Salem Police Department; an agency of 500 officers located in North Carolina. His 27 years of service include over 20 years in SWAT as well as years in Patrol and Special Operations. More about John
Captain Brian Bixler retired from the Los Angeles Police Department after 27 years of service. Brian was the Captain in charge of the Metropolitan Division which included overseeing LAPD’s SWAT team, K9s, and several other specialty platoons. More about Brian
Senior Instructor Dan Flippo recently retired as a Deputy Chief from the Santa Cruz, CA Police Department. Dan has 29 years of experience in SWAT and Patrol and is also currently an instructor with the National Tactical Officers Association. Most importantly, Dan understands your perspective whether you are from a large or small agency and whether you are an officer or supervisor. He is a passionate instructor who is going to make sure you have a great time while learning valuable information. More about Dan