New police officers enter their organization with various views of what policing is, or for that matter, what the organization is. During the first several months these new officers will develop a manner of behaving that allows them to operate in their new environment. New employees are taught through the Police Training Officer (PTO) Program, their contacts with training officers and other employees, management's attitude and behavior, and a host of other factors. But out of all of these factors, the PTO Program stands to have the most influence on how they will behave and what values they will adopt early in their careers.
The effort to build a stronger more progressive police training program lies in the process of understanding the interrelationships of the various subcultures and the employment of their strengths. This experience will be led by police officers, police leaders and managers of with an edge of organizational excellence.
Program Training Prepares Officers
Because we are asking more from our police today, it follows that we must provide them with the resources and the training to fulfill their expanded role. It makes good sense to have police trainees thinking about roles and responsibilities as they are faced with the many challenges revolving around their daily work.
Police trainers incorporates layers of "learning circles" that promote problem solving and collaboration. These learning circles begin at the trainee and police training officer level, the PTO Program level. This process promotes the development of a learning cycle within the trainee.