Eleven law enforcement officers from five Nevada law enforcement agencies graduated from a 40-hour Field Training Officer (FTO) program taught at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

This Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) approved course, required by most Nevada law enforcement agencies for veteran officers to train rookie officers, is key for educating and preparing FTOs for their new role as a law enforcement trainer.

Students received instruction on topics such as:

Elements of a successful FTO program

Duties and Responsibilities of Trainers

Effective Communication and Teaching Methods

Fundamentals of Learning

Effective Supervision

Ethical Leadership/Role Modeling

Standardized Evaluation Guidelines and Evaluation Process

Practical Exercises.

Graduates of the class included:

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office:

Deputies Bill Coleman, Bethany Love, Doug Midkiff, Stuart Shipley and Steve Velez

Elko County Sheriff’s Office:

Deputies David Hicks, Valerie Steinfeld and Lenwood VanNatter

Storey County Sheriff’s Office:

Senior Deputy Frank Valdez

Winnemucca Police Department:

Officer Matthew Haylett

Reno/Tahoe Airport Authority:

Officer Keith Bobko