When a law enforcement officer fails on the job, the ripple effects can be devastating — not just for the officer and their career, but also for their department, their community and law enforcement as a whole. In this second installment of their webinar series, “Why Law Enforcement Hires Go Bad — Field Training and Probation,” public safety luminaries Gordon Graham and Bruce “Coach Sok” Sokolove tackle this issue head-on, exploring why some law enforcement hires don’t work out and (more importantly) what agencies can do about it.
Their discussion underscored the crucial role of field training and probation in shaping proficient, professional officers. Below, we pull out highlights from the webinar, breaking them down into actionable insights for law enforcement leaders looking to improve their hiring, training and retention strategies.
You can also view Part 1 of this series as well as read a recap of the key points.
The crucial role of field training
To begin, Coach Sok emphasizes the critical importance of structured field training, saying, “Great cops don’t happen by accident. They’re forged in the crucible of the field training and evaluation process.”
Field training, Graham agrees, is the ultimate quality control measure. “The FTO process is the safety net under recruitment, testing, background investigations and the academy,” he says. “It’s where we find out if a candidate who looked good on paper can actually do the job.”
The fact is, a person’s ability to make sound decisions under pressure, communicate effectively and handle unpredictable situations can’t be fully evaluated in a classroom. That’s why field training must be rigorous, structured and continuously evolving.
Selecting good FTOs
One of the most critical factors in a successful field training program is choosing the right field training officers (FTOs). They play a crucial part in preparing a new hire for the field as well as helping to determine whether a fresh academy graduate actually belongs there. As Graham says, “The success of that officer, that deputy, that trooper is so dependent on the field training officer. How do we select, train, mentor and develop them?”
Coach Sok points out that selecting law enforcement field training officers isn’t just about picking the most aggressive, alpha-dog officers. “Being a hard charger isn’t enough — our FTOs need to be flexible, have strong communication skills and understand that every probationary officer learns differently.”
Instead, agencies should proactively recruit top-performing officers with a track record of leadership, patience and a commitment to mentoring. A bad FTO doesn’t just fail one recruit — they can negatively impact an entire generation of new officers.
Field training and accountability
The key to a successful field training program, the panelists argue, is supervision. But it can’t be passive oversight, Graham warns. Rather, it must be taken seriously by everyone involved, with standards and procedures and real-world consequences. “We can’t let field training turn into a glorified ride-along with a report card at the end,” Graham warns.
Coach Sok echoes the importance of active supervision: “You’ve got to have supervisors involved. The sergeant should never say, ‘I’m not sure how this trainee is doing.’ They need to know.” In other words, when leadership takes an active role, it reinforces accountability at every level of training.
Also, field training should be about more than learning the ropes and developing everyday skills. As Coach Sok puts it, “Cops don’t just need training; they need coaching. And sometimes, they need support too.”
Not every recruit will be the right fit for law enforcement, but that doesn’t mean they should be discarded without guidance. Graham encourages agencies to explore alternative career paths for those who don’t meet the demands of policing: “If someone isn’t cut out for this job, maybe there’s another role for them in the department or another career where they’ll thrive. We can help them find that.”
Performance audits and continuous improvement
Besides requiring officers to complete an FTO program, regular audits and ongoing evaluations are essential to maintaining high standards.
Coach Sok warns against complacency: “The best field training units are the ones that never get complacent,” he says. “You don’t put this in the water and send it out to sea — you’ve got to bring it back to port, scrape the barnacles and repaint.”
Graham agrees, stressing the importance of revisiting and refining field training programs: “The worst thing that happens is when you launch your field training program and never revisit it.”
A truly effective field training program requires continuous feedback from multiple sources, including FTOs, probationary officers and department leadership. Agencies should implement formal review sessions to identify trends, address weaknesses and ensure training evolves as policies and practices do.
Furthermore, field training programs should be adaptable, allowing for adjustments based on lessons learned from real-world experiences. By treating FTO programs as evolving processes rather than static checklists or “bingo cards,” agencies can foster a culture of ongoing professional development that benefits new recruits and seasoned officers alike.
Documenting it all
Another important aspect of field training is documentation. As Graham says, “If it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen.”
Coach Sok takes this idea a step further by detailing what documentation should include: “Your documentation has to answer the key questions: Who? What? Why? When? Where? How?” And if an agency is still using paper for field training records, it’s high time to make a change. Besides just making sense from a practical perspective, transitioning to electronic documentation improves efficiency and accessibility, ensuring supervisors have up-to-the-minute insights on trainees and their progress.
Another important type of documentation is video. Graham underscores the value of body-worn cameras (BWCs) in modern policing: “One of the best training tools we have today is body-worn cameras. They give us game film to review — not just subjective feedback.”
Coach Sok explains how BWCs improve training. FTOs, trainees and supervisors can watch BWC footage together and use that as a jumping-off point for a discussion on policy and procedure. “We can ask, ‘What did you do right? What could you have done differently?’” Sok says, “and the trainee can see it for themselves.”
Combining written and video documentation provide the kind of objective evaluation that can help recruits learn faster and prevent performance issues from escalating.
Holding poor performers accountable
A common problem in law enforcement hiring is the issue of “wandering cops” — officers who resign from one agency due to poor performance or misconduct, only to be hired by another department.
This isn’t just a human resource problem, or even a law enforcement problem. It’s a public safety problem, and Graham is adamant about preventing it. “If someone isn’t making it through field training, don’t just take the easy way out and let them resign — document everything and make the right call.”
Coach Sok reinforces this sentiment, stating: “We’ve seen bad hires move from agency to agency because no one wanted to do the paperwork to terminate them properly. That stops with us.”
In many jurisdictions, state and local laws prevent agencies from hiring people who have been fired by other departments — but these laws generally don’t apply to officers who leave another agency voluntarily. By formally terminating unsuitable recruits instead of letting them resign, agencies help protect the integrity of law enforcement and ensure problem officers don’t continue bouncing between departments.
Final thoughts
A strong field training and probation process is the last line of defense in preventing bad hires from becoming bad cops. By selecting good FTOs, using modern tools like body-worn cameras, maintaining rigorous documentation and holding both trainees and trainers accountable, agencies can build a stronger, more capable police force.
The panelists agree: In today’s climate, law enforcement can’t afford to be complacent. Training programs must constantly evolve to meet the demands of modern policing. When done right, field training isn’t just about weeding out unfit hires — it’s also about shaping the next generation of law enforcement professionals who are truly prepared to serve and protect.
