By Gail Tierney
CCSO Public Information Officer

The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office recently revamped its field training officer (FTO) program with an eye toward better preparing its new hires – particularly those with no prior law enforcement experience – for solo patrol duty on the road.

For starters, the agency restructured its FTO program by singling out highly motivated, physically fit veteran deputies as its field training officers and assigning them all to the same squad under the direction of one FTO sergeant.

This new organizational setup allows for more consistency, mentorship opportunities and information-sharing among FTOs, plus a better way of monitoring, evaluating and testing each recruit’s progress.

Field training has a significant impact on the individual recruit in terms of imprinting attitudes, styles, values and ethics in carrying out the duties of law enforcement that will last throughout a career. Accordingly, it’s probably the most effective influence on the future direction of any agency. Sheriff Jeff Dawsy and his field training management team must, therefore, completely support the field training program that introduces deputies to the agency and not only develops the necessary technical skills, but also brands the community policing philosophy of the agency and the community it serves.

Whether sworn officers or civilians, all new hires spend three weeks attending the Sheriff’s Employee Institute where they learn about the responsibilities and value of each Sheriff’s Office employee. In this totally hands-on, interactive venue, new employees get to experience what detectives, crime scene technicians, child protective investigators, crime analysts and others do and see on a daily basis.

From there, newly-hired sworn officers move on to a highly structured FTO program akin to basic military training. Working closely with the agency’s training unit at the Withlacoochee Technical Institute, new recruits enter a 6-week-long classroom environment where experts from within the agency instruct them on such topics as report writing, pursuit driving, plus how to write a traffic citation and package evidence. Besides paramilitary uniform inspections and daily physical training, recruits also experience the ins and outs of basic administrative responsibilities borne by working deputies.

Next is a 40-hour week of crisis intervention training where new recruits learn how to recognize and deal effectively with subjects who exhibit varying degrees of mental illness.

And finally, bridging the gap between classroom theory and street application, recruits come under the watch of several different FTOs who ride with them in patrol cars and oversee their real-life interaction with complainants, victims and suspects. For 11 weeks, they learn to build and develop their skills in the field so when the time comes for them to ride solo as rookie deputies, they are more knowledgeable, better prepared and entirely capable of making more informed decisions.

New deputies must learn quickly and be able to relate their intelligence to routine or crisis situations. Sheriff Dawsy’s revitalized FTO program satisfies these demands by integrating the learning process with the practical application of field instruction. It’s an approach to training that’s based on a system of formal, standardized and structured teaching as well as evaluation. The result will be a new deputy who’s not only confident and efficient, but thoroughly trained.

Gail Tierney is public information officer for the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. She has been with the agency for 20 years. Comments or suggestions may be directed to Gail at (352) 341-7460, or gtierney@sheriffcitrus.org.