The Training Process
Newly hired police officers (probationary
officers) have to complete several phases of training as well as complete
18 months of probation. The training consists of attending an
Illinois certified Police Academy and
completing a 16 week Field Training
Program at the Macomb Police Department.
The probationary officer's 18 months of
probation begins on his/her hire date with the Macomb Police
Department. Probation is an employment status that was designed to
insure that the new employee adapts well to his/her new environment and is
performing tasks to the standards of the Macomb Police Department.
The
Police Academy
The
police academy is the first 3 months of police training for a probationary
officer. It is some of the best police training in the
country. A large portion of the training consists of lecture and
textbook material on a daily basis. The training at the police
academy also includes firearms training as well as "hands on"
training that simulates the tasks a police officer performs
everyday. On a typical police academy day a probationary officer
might spend 4 hours learning Illinois law, another 2 hours learning
firearm tactics, another hour practicing how to correctly detain and
arrest a person, and another hour learning how to testify in court.
Currently
the Macomb Police Department sends all its probationary officers to the
University of Illinois Police Training Institute in Champaign, IL.
The Police Training Institute, known as P.T.I., last for 12 weeks.
The
Field Training Program
The
Field Training Program is a 16 week program designed to train, evaluate,
and monitor the probationary officer as he/she performs his/her
duties. The probationary officer is assigned one Field Training
Officer (F.T.O.) at a time but may have exposure of up to 3 different
F.T.O.'s over the course of their training.
An
F.T.O. is an officer on the department that has received additional
training, education, and certification in training new police
officers. His/Her main role is to train and evaluate the
probationary officer. At the end of each work shift an F.T.O. will
discuss with the probationary officer what things were done correctly,
what things were not handled correctly, and what things need to be
improved upon by the probationary officer. This review is done to
reinforce positive behavior and to correct less than positive behavior.
After successfully completing the Police
Academy and the Field Training Program the probationary officer is
assigned to solo patrol on one of the department's patrol shifts.
The probationary officer is responsible for any and all police duties
assigned to him/her during a shift. Other officers and F.T.O.'s will
continue to evaluate the probationary officer at this time as well.
At the successful completion of all
training and the 18 month probationary period probationary officers will
become tenured officers. It is a long road to make it this far, and
not everyone succeeds. The Macomb Police Department strives to
select and retain the best people for the job as a police officer.
The City of Macomb does reserve the right
to require reimbursement of training expenses on a pro-rata basis should
an officer choose to resign within the first 2 years of employment at the
Macomb Police Department.
The City of Macomb is an Equal
Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer
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