Today’s 21st century LEO’s technical, tactical, institutional and administrative skill requirements are far greater than their counterparts just two decades before them. Although previous generations of officers would be envious of some of the assets and tactical techniques available to today’s officers, officer shortages, increased training demands and ever-shrinking budgets puts a strain on today’s officer's technical, tactical and administrative competency. Officers are now required to be proficient at multiple lethal and non-lethal weapon systems, medical aid gear (such as tourniquets, gunshot wound kits and AEDs), and more sophisticated communications equipment and computer skills.
In order for officers to be technically and tactically proficient in all facets of modern policing, today’s law enforcement training must be efficient and cost effective. The most cost effective and productive means to achieve this is through the first line supervisor.
First Line Supervisor
Utilizing the first line supervisor as the primary trainer of subordinate officers is not a new concept. The United States Armed Forces utilizes all leaders as trainers. The primary trainer is the immediate supervisor. The small unit leader/supervisor is responsible for technical skills, small unit tactical skills, to include individual and collective task skills, leadership development and counseling.
The immediate supervisor needs a system to operate within that is cost effective, and supports agency training committees and outside agency training. That training vehicle is opportunity training, or what is sometimes called hip-pocket training. Hip-pocket training can be informal or formal training. It can take the form of simple dry run tactical training, technical training, department regulation reviews, and criminal code reviews. In service training for annual required training is also perfect for opportunity training. Opportunity training can be conducted during a slow patrol day, or during roll call training. The leader can schedule it, or decide to train when the opportunity arises.
Opportunity training should be no longer than 30 minutes in duration. The Tell, Show, Do method of training is a great training technique to utilize for opportunity training. The Tell portion can be as formal as a power point presentation, or as informal as just a brief description of what the officers are about to see. The Show portion should have a step-by-step demonstration, and a complete start-to-finish demonstration in order to show the task in real time. The Do portion should start out as a walk-and-talk through, then onto a slow run, and is completed when the officers are at full speed.
Utilizing the small unit leader as the primary trainer has many benefits. First, it makes the small unit leader more proficient, because he or she is constantly preparing training and keeping up on his or her technical and tactical skills. Second, highly proficient leaders breed confidence. That confidence is felt by subordinates in those leaders, and administrator’s confidence in the capabilities of their organization. Fourth, leaders build leaders! That's to say, subordinates emulate their leaders. If you have supervisors who are just managers of a watch or shift, then your future leaders will be just that. On the other hand, if you have small unit leaders, training, counseling, and developing their subordinates, you will reap those skills in future leaders, and will institutionalize this leadership model in your organization.
In Sum
It’s time for the law enforcement training doctrine to step into the 21st century. Modern policing requires evolutionary training. Adopting the small unit leader as the primary trainer of your officers is the key to beginning this process.
Officer Scott M. Hyderkhan is a patrol officer of 11 years with the city of Mercer Island, Washington. Hyderkhan is a retired master sergeant of the U.S. Army with 20 years’ service. Taylor and Francis/CRC Press is publishing Officer Hyderkhan’s Active Shooter Response Training Manual, and it will be available in the spring of 2013. You can read more about the manual at www.kinetictactical.com.