Field Training Officer Clinic
August 18, 2026
Newark Civic Center
37101 Newark Blvd.
Newark, CA 94560
8am - 5pm
Hosted by the Newark Police Department
$299.00
Field Training Officers have one of the most important jobs in policing. They shape new officers during the most critical phase of their careers. Yet after their initial training, those same FTOS don’t receive any specialized training. That is why the Savage Training Group is offering this one-time workshop for FTOs where our cadre will be presenting case studies, best practices and specific teaching techniques to help FTOs succeed in 2026.
Real Case Studies from the Field
This clinic goes beyond theory. The instructors will present real case studies from trainees they personally trained.
These examples include recruits who struggled early but ultimately succeeded and trainees who required significant remediation.
Our instructors will also discuss the very real issue of trainees who should not pass an FTO program and the reasons they did.
Each case study breaks down:
- what the trainee was doing wrong
- what the FTO tried
- what ultimately worked or failed
- how the situation was documented
These discussions give students practical insight into how experienced FTOs handle difficult trainees in the real world.
Best Practices for Teaching/Evaluating./Documenting.
Students will learn practical techniques they can immediately apply in the field to coach trainees more effectively, apply the Standardized Evaluation Guidelines consistently, and learn how to articulate the trainee’s performance in a way that supports the agency either keeping or firing a trainee.
Course Curriculum Includes:
- Case studies of high and low performing trainees
- Balancing teaching and evaluation in the Field Training Program
- Techniques that accelerate trainee development
- Applying the Standardized Evaluation Guidelines consistently
- Avoiding common evaluation errors in FTO scoring
- Writing clear and defensible Daily Observation Reports
- Using documentation to guide remediation and training decisions
- Ensuring documentation supports personnel decisions if reviewed by supervisors, HR, or a court
Why This Training Matters
Recruiting and hiring a new officer requires a significant investment of time and money. By the time a recruit completes the academy and enters field training, the agency has already committed substantial resources.
When a recruit fails the FTO program, that investment is lost and the hiring process begins again.
The best Field Training Officers are not just evaluators. They are teachers who can identify problems early, coach recruits effectively, and document performance in a way that supports training decisions.
This clinic is designed to help FTOs develop those skills.
Seats fill quickly. Space in this workshop is limited so register today and reserve your spot.
Your Instructor:
Senior Instructor Dominic Gamboa brings more than three decades of law enforcement experience to the classroom. He previously served with the San Francisco Police Department and currently serves as a Commander with the Broadmoor Police Department in California.
Dom has been deeply involved in the development of Savage Training Group’s Field Training curriculum and helped design many of the teaching and evaluation concepts used in our FTO courses today.
In addition to his operational experience, Dom sits on the Advisory Committee with California POST reporting directly to the POST Commission and Director. He is intimately involved in the policy decisions that will be affecting law enforcement officers across the state.
Agencies regularly consult with Dom when they are trying to improve their Field Training Programs, whether that involves improving how FTOs teach trainees, standardizing evaluations, or strengthening documentation practices. His specialty is helping instructors understand how officers actually learn and how to keep students engaged rather than relying on traditional lecture-based training.
For command staff evaluating training options, Dom brings both operational credibility and a deep understanding of how training systems function inside law enforcement agencies.
Senior Instructor Eddie Chan is a current Sergeant with the San Jose Police Department and brings over 30 years of law enforcement experience to the course. Eddie spent more than 14 years supervising within the Field Training Program and has personally participated in the training of hundreds of recruits and Field Training Officers.
Throughout his career he has seen firsthand how the quality of Field Training Officers directly affects the success of new officers entering the profession. Many of the officers Eddie trained early in their careers have gone on to become supervisors and command staff within their agencies.
Within Savage Training Group, Eddie oversees all of the organization’s FTO training programs and plays a key role in ensuring that course material reflects the realities of modern policing and the expectations agencies place on their Field Training Programs.
For agency leaders, Eddie’s experience supervising within a large metropolitan Field Training Program provides valuable perspective on how evaluation standards, remediation, and documentation should function at scale.
Garrett Sloniker is a current Field Training Officer with the San Jose Police Department and represents the perspective of an active-duty trainer working directly with new officers. Garrett has served as a police officer since 2013 and has worked a variety of assignments including the Undercover Narcotics Enforcement Unit and as an academy instructor.
His role in the clinic is to bring the practical realities of day-to-day field training into the discussion. Garrett works directly with recruits in the field and understands the challenges that modern FTOs face when balancing operational demands with the responsibility of training and evaluating new officers.
For agencies sending their FTOs to this clinic, Garrett provides the perspective of a working trainer who applies these concepts in the field every day.
Payment Methods
Once you enter the student information below and click "Register", you will be taken to a checkout page where you can pay using a credit card, or you may request that an invoice be sent to your department that can be paid online or by check and sent by mail. Please note that invoices incur a $15.00 non-refundable processing fee.
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