Training

The Training Division is responsible for coordinating and scheduling the basic training of all new employees as well as continuing education, as needed. All sworn officer’s are mandated through Oklahoma State law under the direction of the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) to attain at least 16 hours of Law Enforcement related training per year (effective Jan 1, 1999). At least 1 hour of training must consist of mental health training.

The training division must also coordinate non-sworn employee training. As such, the Stillwater Police Department conducts its own mandated Detention Officer training, dispatcher recruit training, as well as the mandated re-qualification of various areas of instructor training. Yearly in-service training of First Aid and CPR as well as Bloodborne Pathogens update classes are attended by all employees of the police department. In 1997 the Stillwater Police Department averaged 32 hours of training for every employee.

All newly hired sworn officers attends a 200 hour basic recruit orientation training course before attending the basic CLEET academy consisting of:

• Standard Operating Procedures (8 hrs)
• Firearms Training (24 hrs)
• Ethics and Interpersonal Communications Skills (8 hrs)
• First Aid & CPR (8 hrs)
• Bloodborne and TB Prevention (8 hrs)
• Custody and Control (16 hrs)
• Baton & OC/Spray (8 hrs)
• Patrol Tactics (8 hrs)
• Traffic Stops (4 hrs)
• Building Searches (4 hrs)
• Traffic Collisions (16 hrs)
• Radio Procedures (8 hrs)
• Report Writing (16 hrs)
• Computer Training (24 hrs)
• Interviews & Interrogations (8 hrs)
• Crime Scene Investigations (16 hrs)
• Constitutional Law (8 hrs)

The basic recruit orientation course is designed to give all newly hired Police Officers those necessary skills that will enhance their training performance at a state Basic Police Academy. Additionally, the groundwork is then set for specific job related performance and policy issues unique to our agency as well as subsequent field training.

Upon successful completion of a state Basic Police Academy, the police recruit enters into the 17 week Field Training and Evaluation (FTE) Program where they are partnered with a senior patrol officer. Taking this approach better allows the recruit to learn, and then perform, the necessary tasks required to perform the complex roles of a police officer.

Traditionally, all sworn officers attend at least 9 months of intense training from date of hire before they may solo as a patrol officer.

Non-sworn Civilian Training

All new non-sworn employees attend an 80 hour basic orientation training course consisting of:

• Standard Operating Procedures (8 hrs)
• Bloodborne & TB Prevention (8 hrs)
• Custody Control (8 hrs)
• Ethics and Interpersonal Communications Skills (8 hrs)
• CPR/First Aid (8 hrs)
• Prisoner Search (8 hrs)
• Report Writing (16 hrs)
• Computer Training (16 hrs) hrs)

Upon completion of the basic orientation training course, most civilians continue with specialized training that best fits their area of work. Central Communications (dispatchers) conduct a four month dispatch training program similar to the Police officer FTE program which includes the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) training and certification course, Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) training, and Teletype certification. Detention officers receive training on jail standards and procedures, processing of prisoners, suicide prevention, fingerprinting and supervision of prisoners. Records personnel receive training on records processing, the city's AS400 computer system, and records classification.

Continuing Education

Each year the Council on Law Enforcement Education & Training (CLEET) offers various continuing education training courses throughout the state, which are taught by CLEET personnel and outside scholars. Many outside agencies provide the expertise to help enhance all law enforcement officers job performance. Some of the agencies that provide training include:

• State Medical Examiners Office
• Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations (OSBI)
• Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP)
• Oklahoma Fire Marshal Office
• U.S. Department of Justice
• Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad
• Alcohol Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission (ABLE)
• Department of Corrections
• State Department of Vo-Tech
• Meridian Technology Center
• Federal Bureau of Investigations
• Oklahoma State University

Various private companies also offer law enforcement training, in all areas of police work.

Many of the Stillwater police officers and non-sworn personnel have received specialized training which has led them to become certified instructors. We provide instructors for the state academies and both dispatch training and detention officer training.

Law Enforcement training is a field which constantly develops new and innovative solutions to problems both old and new. Furthermore, law enforcement training enhances and improves upon current methods, in order to better meet everyone's needs. Thus, the mission of the training division is to help provide quality education and training for its employees who in turn will provide better service to the citizens of Stillwater.

If you would like more information about the different kinds of training SPD's employees receive, please contact:

Sgt. Steve Hoffman
Stillwater Police Department
P.O. Box 1725
Stillwater, Oklahoma  74076
(405) 742-8305, or send email to:  SHoffman@Stillwater.org