PTO Training Courses

Basic PTO Course (5 days):

The 40-hour Basic PTO Course prepares the trainer to become a Police Training Officer (PTO) under the Reno/COPS Model.

PTO training in Illinois

PTO training in Illinois

The fundamentals of post-academy training are covered including problem-based learning theory and method, available training resources, evaluation methods, emotional intelligence, the Learning Matrix, cooperative learning, mentoring, and the Neighborhood Portfolio.

PTO Program Key Benefits:

  • Trainees become problem-solvers and community-oriented police officers.
  • The training experience is positive, the trainee and PTO work as a team.
  • The agency benefits from a federally approved training model.

Train-the-Trainer PTO Course (10 days):

The 80-hour Train-the-Trainer Course prepares the trainer to teach the 40-hour Basic PTO Course. All topics taught in the Basic Course will be covered as well as advanced topics and opportunities to create audio-visual presentations of the material. The participant will be exposed to leadership and adult-learning principles in greater depth.

Train-the-Trainer course in Colorado

Train-the-Trainer course in Colorado

 

All participants will research, prepare, and present topics relating to the Reno Model. An instructor’s manual and PowerPoint presentation are provided.

 

 

 

Administration of the Field Training (PTO or FTO) Program (3-Days)

During this three-day course, participants will be introduced through presentation, discussion and exercises to the basic underlying concepts of field training.  The history of field training programs and the structure and comparison of the two national models will be covered to give participants a foundation for why certain management techniques are recommended, depending upon the model.   This will be followed by topics that include selection of trainers, assignment of trainees, performance evaluations, prescriptive (remedial) training, legal issues in training, and termination procedures and philosophy.  Finally, the creation of a manual and implementation of a field training program will be discussed.