A field training officer is a special kind of cop. They have to be both patrol officer and mentor, as they teach recruits who are fresh out of the police academy how to put their lessons into practice. Much like mentors in other fields, these training officers, FTOs for short, hold a tremendous amount of responsibility. But that responsibility takes on more meaning given the nature of the job. And new research reinforces just how influential these guides are.
In a study recently published in the American Economic Review, researchers found that recruits who trained under FTOs who more often used force while on patrol also went on to be similarly forceful in their interactions on the job. “The stuff that they’re learning from their [FTO] during this period of time seems to have a really long lasting impact on how these officers end up patrolling later,” said Matthew Ross, an associate professor of public policy and economics at Northeastern University.
