Training is a very important aspect of law enforcement.  Well-trained officers are better prepared to handle a broad spectrum of situations.  To that end, every recruit officer is assigned to a minimum of two Field Training Officers. 

   Upon graduation from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, the recruit officer will enter the Field Training Program, which is divided into five phases covering 9 weeks.  The phases gradually help the recruit officer evolve from the first phase where the recruit is mainly observing the Field Training Officer (F.T.O.) perform his/ her duties into the final phase where the recruit officer is acting as a single unit and being observed by the F.T.O.  Whenever possible, during the final phase of training, the FTO will be dressed as a civilian “ride-along” and not be identifiable as a Police Officer by the general public ensuring that the recruit officer handles various situations during the training process just as he/ she will be required to when graduating the Field Training Program.  

   Our department’s F.T.O. Manager, Cpl Ricci Fowler, supervises the Field Training and Evaluation Program.    As the FTO Manager, she is responsible for selection and training of the departments F.T.O.s.  It is her responsibility to schedule new recruits with FTO’s and ensures that all proper training documentation is completed by the FTO’s for each recruit.

   Each Patrol Team has two F.T.O.s assigned to it as well as one F.T.O. in the Traffic Division, School Resource Division, and the Investigations Division. Field Training Officers are easily identifiable by the rank insignias on their sleeves.  Typical rank insignias are a series of upward pointing stripes.  Whatever the rank of the FTO, the stripe(s) will be accompanied by a rounded bottom rocker with a diamond between the stripe and rocker.  This designates the officer as one of the Departments FTO’s.