Scenario: You have been hired as a new police officer in a somewhat affluent community. There is very little commercial development, so most of your time will be spent doing community service and preventive patrol duties. You have been assigned to work with a field-training officer (FTO) for the next 8 weeks. On your first day of training, your FTO tells you to forget everything you learned in the police academy because it could "get you killed." He has been a police officer for almost 9 years and tells you that he has seen it all. He goes on to tell you everything that is wrong with the department and the community in general.
Write 400-600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas:
· Which role, function, or style of policing would you see most prevalent in the community you patrol? Why?
· What is the importance of the field-training officer (FTO) concept? Explain.
o How important do you think the field training officer position is within a police department? Why?
· What is meant by the term working personality? Explain.
o Explain how working personality is developed and how it functions in the scenario described above.
· Do you detect a certain degree of cynicism in the remarks made by your FTO? Why or why not?
o What impact could a field-training officer's cynicism have on one's ability to perform the duties of a police officer? Explain.