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Lt. Raymond E.
Foster, LAPD (ret.)
Nearly every new cop has heard a field
training officer or senior partner utter the
phrase, “Forget everything you learned in
the academy.” Indeed, in my conversations
with senior Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) from several branches of
the military there is a similar “forget what
they told you in Basic.” That’s right. It
would appear that the REMFs* in training
division don’t know jack about field
operations.
Police work, like soldiering, is an
apprenticeship. They are “learn by doing”
jobs. No matter how much classroom training
you have, how many diagrams you draw or how
many tests you take, there is a clear
disconnect between the classroom and the
field. Simply put, little can prepare you
for being a brand new police officer on a hot August day when
you and one other person (whom you really
don’t know) step out of the air conditioned
car and into 10 people yelling at each
other.
Our training cadres recognize the disconnect
between the classroom and field operations
and try to supplement training with
simulations, role-playing, drills and a host
of technologies. Still, the most
sophisticated simulation technology feels
like a great video game but doesn’t come
close to the sensory overload easily
obtained at your first homicide scene. The
bridge between the classroom and field
operations is the field training officer or
the NCO.
The senior person who says anything like
“forget what you learned…” is not acting as
a bridge between the classroom and the
field. That phrase is more about
establishing dominance and beginning the
process of acculturation. Any senior person
who takes this tact is doing a disservice to
their peers in the classroom, the trainee
and the mission. Moreover, establishing
dominance via this phrase is a poor
substitute for leadership. The function of
the field trainer is to build on the
foundation established in the classroom not
wipe away the foundation.
The Academy teaches you the basics: how to
wear the uniform; basic tactics;
self-defense; reporting writing; etc. It is
this foundation that prepares the new cop to
be handed off to a field trainer for a
continuation of the training through
application. Yes, you really don’t know much
about being a cop after graduating the
academy, but you do have a solid foundation
from which to learn. It is the field
trainer’s responsibility to help the new cop
build on the academy foundation.
Another critical
piece for the field trainer is that the
formal training process taught your trainee
your organization's acceptable practice.
They didn't teach some high-speed, low-drag
short-cut you developed - and probably for a
very good reason. The trainee needs to
learn and have reinforced, the acceptable
practices for a variety of reasons. As
an example, safety and effectiveness is
enhanced when everyone has clear
expectations on how other organizational
members are going to act. If you make
a felony traffic stop your safety is
enhanced by knowing that back-up units are
going to deploy in a certain way.
If you are a field
trainer who says something like "forget
everything you....", you should re-evaluate
what you are trying to accomplish. You
would better serve the trainee and the
mission by acknowledging that your trainee
has a foundation and you are going to help
them build on it. It doesn't need to
be a touchy-feely conversation, it could be
as simple as, "they taught you the basic
stuff; I am going to help you learn how to
use it."
About
the Author
Raymond
E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years.
He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelors from the
Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Masters
Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University,
Fullerton. Raymond is a graduate of the West Point Leadership program and has
attended law enforcement, technology and leadership programs such as the
National Institute for Justice, Technology Institute, Washington, DC.
Raymond
has been part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and
California State University, Fresno and is currently the Department Chair of the
Criminal Justice program at the Union Institute and University. He has
experience teaching upper division courses in law enforcement, public policy,
technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published
numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as
Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and
Police One.
His
first book,
Police Technology (Prentice Hall, July
2004) is used in over 100 colleges and universities nationwide. Raymond E.
Fosters second book,
Leadership: Texas Hold em Style is
widely available.
*Rear Echelon
M..... you know the rest.
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