Transferring Police Academy Training to the Street: the Field Training Experience

Abstract

This research examines the role of police field training officers (FTOs) in the transfer of police academy training to the job. The authors issued a pilot survey instrument, the Police Learning Environment Inventory (PLEI), to assess the role of FTO behaviors in the transfer of academy training. The survey was issued to police organizations in the southwest and northeast regions of the USA. Survey responses were analyzed to determine both dimensional structure of FTO behaviors and their relationship to trainee intent to transfer academy training to the job. Results demonstrate that an array of FTO behaviors fall under a single dimension. Further, this behavioral dimension was significantly associated (p < .01) with police officer intent to transfer academy training to the field.