Is becoming a Field Training Officer a good step toward police promotion?

Yes. The FTO assignment is the first formal leadership opportunity most officers receive and is widely recognized as a stepping stone to supervisory promotion. FTO builds the leadership experience, oral board examples, and promotional reputation that promotion panels look for. Turning down the FTO opportunity can work against an officer at their first promotion oral board.

How soon can a police officer become an FTO?

The FTO assignment can be offered to officers with leadership potential in as little as 24 to 26 months of service. In agencies with formal FTO testing processes, the exam can be offered after just 24 months — making it the first real promotional stepping stone available in a law enforcement career.

What leadership skills does the FTO assignment develop for promotion?

The FTO role develops communication skills, risk mitigation, education and training abilities, documentation practices, and supervisory judgment — all of which translate directly into the competencies assessed in promotional examinations and oral boards. An officer who completes one to three years as an FTO can cite dozens of specific leadership examples during their promotional interview.

Why do some officers decline the FTO opportunity?

Some officers decline the FTO role citing extra paperwork, the intensity of being responsible for a trainee for 16 weeks, insufficient extra pay, or a preference for working alone. However, declining the FTO opportunity is widely seen by promotion panels as a signal that the officer may not be suited for leadership — and it eliminates a valuable source of oral board examples and leadership credentials.

Police Promotion Information and Resources.

Everything You Need to Know to Plan For and Achieve Promotion Up the Ranks in Law Enforcement!

Is Field Training Officer Considered a True Stepping-Stone to Promotion?

By Lt. Paul Patti (ret) - Director
Police Career and Promotion Services, LLC.

What you need to know about all aspects of preparing for and achieving your promotion in law enforcement can be found in these pages.

About us: I spent 27 years in law enforcement, and since 1985 I have directed an organization that has worked with individuals and agencies in finding and promoting the right people into the higher ranks of police and sheriff's departments. We include a Ph.D. in Personnel Management, as well as a staff attorney focusing on criminal law applications and legal-oriented promotion exams in law enforcement. We specialize not only in writing promotion textbook exams for police agencies, but also written exam preparation for individuals, along with in-basket, oral board and assessment center preparation for both agencies and individual training. Our individual client base of thousands of career law officers has a 99%+ pass rate on their written exams!

More information about me, my organization and affiliates can be found at these links; PoliceCareer.com, About Us, PoliceCareer.net, PolicePromotion.com, Finests.com, In-Basket.net and PoliceAssessmentCenter.com.

Master List of Articles. Questions? Contact me - Paul@PolicePromotion.com

Photo of newly promoted Florida Police Sergeant with wife and child

The FTO Assignment — Your First Real Step Toward Promotion
By Lt. Paul Patti (ret.), Director, Police Career and Promotion Services, LLC — 40+ years of law enforcement promotion expertise.

I have found that assignment to Field Training Officer (FTO) is the first formal leadership opportunity most officers ever receive — but unfortunately very few think of it that way. It can be offered so early in a career, in as little as 24 - 26 months to officers and deputies with leadership potential, that it comes at a time when corporal or sergeant stripes - or a detective shield - still seems so far off.

Worse, some think of only the extra work involved - the extra forms - the extra hours - and even the potential liability issues as you take on the responsibility of mentoring new officers.

Typical responses when some 2 - to - 5 year officers are presented with the FTO opportunity; "too much more paperwork" - "too intensive, you're stuck with them for 16 weeks" - "No or not enough extra pay for the added responsibility" - "I like working alone most of the time." They might as well be declaring "I'm not cut out for leadership."

Turn down an offer or opportunity to become an FTO - it may haunt you later at that first promotion oral board. Why risk it?

During my own career I was instrumental in starting the first formal FTO program in my agency. This was way back in the mid-1980s, when "put him with the senior guy" was more or less the FTO program of the day. I remember the discussions at the time, and the research we received from the west-coast agencies that had the first formalized programs;

Was it an assignment, or a promotion?
Will there be testing?
How about at least an oral interview?
Will there be a raise?
What should the basic requirements be?
What training is needed?

For our agency, as in most in the Southeast Florida coast, it turned out to be no testing needed, an assignment rather than a promotion, informal training, and little or no pay. The Deputy Chief in charge of Patrol approved each platoon lieutenant's choice for FTO. That was it. Of course as the years progressed, the FTO program has evolved into a much more professional and long-term part of all law enforcement agencies. It's now a promotion, you are paid, and you are held to a higher standard of knowledge, skills and abilities. FTO is now considered a formal 2-stripe, entry-level supervisory/leadership position in many agencies.

FTOs are expected to know and abide by all the current policies and procedures. They must lead by example, demonstrating a stellar arrest and citation history with high numbers and thorough investigations. Their interviews, record keeping, report writing, court testimony and citizen interactions must demonstrate not just competence, but superiority.

A patrol officer who serves as an FTO already has a lot of leadership experience, and will gain even more. That officer can then discuss specific FTO leadership examples during the promotional interview. For instance, an FTO could talk about a time when he or she applied leadership skills and critical thinking to help a trainee through a complicated case. If you do a year or two or three as an FTO and keep good records, you should be able to cite DOZENS of important leadership interventions into the work of the new rookies ("boots") you have trained.

From the Lexipol article: if the agency has formal testing to become an FTO, instead of just an assignment, the FTO test is sometimes offered after just 24 months — making it the first real promotional stepping stone.

A quick promotion in law enforcement like this is an honor, since those selected are charged with leading newer officers through in-the-field training. FTO is about leadership - and leadership is about communication, mitigating risks, educating, training, and all the other skills and abilities you will need for each of the higher ranks in your agency.

Finally - I need to mention - friendships. Think of all those you have and will mentor in the field as friends and agency support. If you rise to the top, think of just how many officers and supervisors you will have mentored that will now be loyal members of your leadership and law enforcement team.

See also the article on Field Training — Your First Defining Chapter

Two short articles to further understand this topic;
American Public University - Preparing to Rise Through the Ranks in Law Enforcement
Lexipol - Are You Ready for Promotion?

Master list of articles and resources: from PolicePromotion.net
Your Police Promotion Timeline — When Should Preparation Begin?
Field Training — Your First Defining Chapter
Building Your Promotional Reputation Over Time
Recordkeeping — Your Evaluations, and Training Documentation
The Two Tracks — Supervision vs. Specialization
The Role of College Education in Law Enforcement
The FTO As an Early Promotion Credential
The Written Promotional Exam — What It Covers and How to Prepare
The Oral Board — the Promotion First-Timer's Biggest Challenge
The In-Basket Exercise — NOT as Easy as You Think!
Assessment Center Exercises — Don't Fear — Prepare!
Making it To The Top — Or — How High is High Enough?
When it's Time to Leave it All Behind — And What to do Next.

Do You REALLY Want the Promotion? — Links to help you prepare for:
Police Corporal
Police Detective
Police Sergeant
Police Lieutenant
Police Captain
Police Administration and Upper Management
Understanding Police Leadership Concepts
Understanding Police Ethical Considerations
Understanding Police Patrol and Field Operations
Understanding Community and Problem-Oriented Policing
Understanding Intelligence-Led Policing
Police Case Law Application with Case Law Pro

Police Promotion Information and Resources.

Everything You Need to Know to Plan For and Achieve Promotion Up the Ranks in Law Enforcement!

Is Field Training Officer Considered a True Stepping-Stone to Promotion? By Lt. Paul Patti (ret) - DirectorPolice Career and Promotion Services, LLC.

The FTO Assignment — Your First Real Step Toward Promotion By Lt. Paul Patti (ret.), Director, Police Career and Promotion Services, LLC — 40+ years of law enforcement promotion expertise.

Is Field Training Officer Considered a True Stepping-Stone to Promotion?

By Lt. Paul Patti (ret) - Director
Police Career and Promotion Services, LLC.

The FTO Assignment — Your First Real Step Toward Promotion
By Lt. Paul Patti (ret.), Director, Police Career and Promotion Services, LLC — 40+ years of law enforcement promotion expertise.