Mentoring

New Hire Mentoring Programs

The most popular application of mentoring within police agencies is helping aspiring protégés succeed in becoming certified police officers. Mentors can work with protégés to ensure they properly follow processing requirements, which ultimately results in a decision to accept the protégé for entry into a recruit training program. New recruits often find the entry-level training program to be very challenging, particularly when it comes to learning various laws along with a myriad of policies and procedures. Having a mentor available to help guide them through these challenges is quite often a welcome benefit.

Field Training Officer and Police Training Officer Mentoring Programs

Men and women graduating from a recruit training program will, in most instances, be required to successfully complete a Field Training Officer (FTO) or Police Training Officer (PTO) program. The purpose of such programs is to train and assess each probationary officer’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes as they relate to performance of responsibilities expected of a police officer working in a particular jurisdiction. Graduates of such programs are often thought to be ready for the rigors of police work; but in many instances, they need more refinement, coaching, and counseling before they have the degree of confidence needed to be successful.

This mentoring application focuses on working with young (in terms of tenure) protégés in the form of discussing a variety of true-life police scenarios, community issues and challenges, problem-solving situations, moral dilemmas, for example, over a period of several months. The intent of this mentoring application is to facilitate the psychological development and decision-making skills of an inexperienced protégé as a means of preventing, or at least reducing the probability, of mistakes being made that could jeopardize officer and citizen safety.

Succession Planning Mentoring Programs

Being promoted to a higher rank is a rewarding accomplishment and signifies an individual is ready to take on different types of challenges. Agencies without field training programs for officials of rank may require them to attend courses designed to help them prepare for their new job responsibilities. Upon completion of this education, assigning the promotee to work alongside a seasoned supervisor, manager, or executive allows the promotee to observe the application of knowledge and skills. Exposure helps build the appropriate mind-set and attitude [Page 242]needed to address the rigors of a new assignment. The mentoring experience also helps diminish the likelihood of making mistakes and facilitates the learning process.

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