About

How much has policing changed over just the last 5 years? How about the last 25 years? The last 50 years? The two most common models for field training used throughout the United States have been in use between 25 and 50 years. Law enforcement field training, either for lack of a

better option or due to tradition, has failed to keep up with new philosophies in policing, improved adult learning strategies, and generational differences in the area of field training.

Over the years, many law enforcement agencies have customized these common field training models to bridge the gaps created by time and an ever-changing law enforcement environment. These adjustments and improvements have altered their original field training programs to the point of being unrecognizable and created many inconsistencies. The purpose of the Nextgen Field Training Model is to bring field training into alignment with 21st Century Policing concepts and current adult learning strategies. The time has come to hit the reset button and invest in a program that brings field training to the next generation of officers more efficiently and effectively.

The Nextgen Field Training Model is adaptable to any agency. Integrating the Nextgen Model starts with taking the time to reflect on your current field training program and answering four questions:

What do you want to START doing that you aren’t already?
What do you want to STOP doing that isn’t working for the users of your program?
What do you want to CONTINUE doing that is working for the users of your program?
What are you willing to CHANGE about your program to make it most beneficial to its users?

There are five foundational elements of the Nextgen Field Training Model:

CONSISTENCY: Establish a simple set of Standard Evaluation Guidelines that clearly define a successful solo capable officer.
GROWTH MINDSET: Create a culture of rewarding learner effort over learner intelligence by clearly delineating training and evaluation during the field training process.
PROBLEM SOLVER: Emphasize the creation of adaptive decision-makers that can solve complex problems by training with the P-R-I-D-E Adaptive Decision-Making Model.
EFFICIENT LEARNING: Establish stronger connections between prior knowledge, skills, and experiences and the knowledge, skills, and experiences taught during field training by implementing the most current adult learning strategies available.
RESPECTFUL POLICING: Promote the officer safety concept of treating everyone with dignity and respect, without compromising officer safety, good tactics, and appropriate use of force.

Additional explanation of the Nextgen Field Training Model:

Creates a distinct separation between training and evaluating for both FTOs and OITs.
There are three Training Phases and three Evaluation Phases.
- Training Phases 1, 2, and 3 - FTOs work as a TEAM to teach the OIT how to do the job.
  - In Phase 1, the FTO is a Foundational Trainer teaching all of the basics of the job.
  - In Phase 2, the FTO is an Exposure Trainer getting the OIT as much experience as possible.
  - In Phase 3, the FTO is the Cleanup Trainer getting the OIT the experiences needed to round out their training in preparation for Evaluation.
- Evaluation Phases 4, 5, and Solo - Evaluate the OIT’s proficiency as a solo capable officer.
  - In Phase 4, the FTO is a familiar trainer, typically the Phase 1 FTO, to begin the OIT's evaluation process in a consistent environment.
  - In Phase 5, the FTO is an Independant FTO that has not previously worked with the OIT directly. This assists in removing biases from the evaluation process.
  - If both Evaluation FTOs believe the OIT is solo capable, then the OIT will be moved into the Solo Evaluation Phase.
  - In the Solo Evaluation Phase, the OIT is assigned to a patrol squad and begins working as a solo officer. If at any time, the squad sergeant does not believe the OIT is solo capable, then the FTO Program sends an FTO to that squad to assist in further training. Otherwise, the OIT is released from the Field Training Program as a solo capable officer and completes their regular probationary period under the guidance of their assigned sergeant.
There is no official scoring during Training Phases - document OIT actions and the training provided.
- This provides a training environment that encourages effort, engagement, and positive risk-taking.
- No scoring allows FTOs to focus on training and the OITs to focus on learning.
- It also removes potential animosity between FTOs and OITs.
- Scoring takes place during Evaluation Phases 4 and 5.
Based upon a crawl-walk-run experiential learning philosophy for both training and evaluation.
Nextgen Field Training integrates the P-R-I-D-E Adaptive Decision-Making Model and Policing Priorities Training Methodologies into all phases of training through debriefing and training activities.
Nextgen Field Training also provides a clear framework for handling remedial training through Performance Training Plans and probationary rejections.

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