Back in 1972, the band “Stealers Wheel” released their song Stuck in the Middle with You. Part of the lyrics goes “Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you” and here in lies the problem of managing police training. Over the decades I had the task of vetting and contracting for departmental training for my departments. Contenders, pretenders and all-around fakes will besiege your inbox with fabulous offers. I will be straight up front with you; I will get hate mail from some regarding this piece. But alas, the guilty proclaim their innocence the loudest, so there let’s get on with some advice.
Emerging topics
Emerging topics and other de novo issues can plague anyone tasked with providing training to their department. Often times, this is a knee-jerk reaction to appease your elected officials or sometimes your insurance carrier. There is a hot button topic, and this department needs to be the leader in the area. Why? Often for bragging rights, some want to create a shield from liability and sometimes there are other motives. Somebody has a buddy who runs a training company, and this is a favor to them? Do not be surprised at the number of civilian companies that offer their “police adaptable model” of training to you. Too often, elected officials become enchanted with some nomad academic or your insurance carrier has a contracted trainer to present how they perceive policing should be accomplished. Now you see the problem that is evolving.
The state training commission will have your state’s annual recertification requirements as a baseline for the year. These topics are the mandatory minimum to maintain your police certification. More often, these topics are not as timely as you would want them. Except for legal updates, they may not be tailored to your department’s specific needs but you do what is required.
Perform due diligence
Once the email is sent to you or the phone call ends, it is now up to you to perform your job. Anyone can say anything they want on a promotional pamphlet or website. It is time for you to channel your investigative skills again. Perform your research before signing the dotted line. You would not purchase a home or vehicle by mere phone description alone. You want to see it and ‘kick the tires’ and training contracts should be no different.
Question: Ask for a list of their recent contracts of this particular topic you are interested in. If they become hesitant, there is a reason why. I want to know about their past performances with agencies of similar size and circumstance within this state. Point to make here is their compatibility to your state’s laws, accreditation requirements and criminal procedures. Call those departments and get their end user reviews of the presentation. If the trainer refuses to release this information and asks you not call anyone—we in Detectiveland call this a "clue."
Tip: See if you can "audit" a presentation or just invest in tuition to send a trusted staffer to actually take a course for evaluation. So, with a list of past presentations, call their training point of contact and start the hard questions. Remember, this will be a product of your training unit. You are validating this trainer or product as gospel, so it better be right. Once it is presented and it was not right, it is nearly impossible to get the troops to ‘unlearn’ a bad presentation. Now for some questions with recommendations.
Question for past users: Did they fulfill their contract expectations with no surprise costs? No extra student fees, can only have a limited number of students per class, any more are extra.
I have seen ways you can cut your costs such as asking for the handouts in advance. You print out at significant savings, no shipping costs or special bindings.
Question: Does their presentation(s) match their real experience? No need for war stories or name calling. We all know of the instructor who does not possess the knowledge, skills or abilities to present a topic but since they had the lesson plan, therefore they are now the expert. You want to invest your training dollars into the best you can afford for your staff—no pretenders please.
Question for you: Did you verify their resume/vita or internet bio? Just because it is written or on the internet does mean it is true. There are ways to verify. Are they a member of other police training organizations – a quick check there can answer some of these questions. Review their social media and websites for their postings. Please note that there is nothing suspect of an instructor with two vitas – one for instruction and the other for expert witness for example.
Question for past users: Were there any sleight of hand tricks? This was part one and nowhere near adequate, so therefore if you want the entire training, I have to be contracted for part two. Make sure you cover the student performance objectives with them and it fits your needs and no short cuts.
Question for any past students: How did they treat you and your personnel? I should not have to mention this, but you are the gatekeeper for your staff. If you host professional training, you want them treated as professionals; they are not a mere number in the crowd. I will not tolerate my officers being mistreated by a condescending trainer. I have seen the arrogant trainer from a larger metro department make jest of the smaller rural agency. Did they help the class or ridicule them? In other words, did they treat you as an adult customer?
End results
This was a limited guide and suggestions of dealing with trainers. It was not meant to be a slap on trainers (like myself) nor training unit managers (like I once was). There are many great trainers out there and deserve the opportunity to train you and your staff. As a training manager you are juggling department needs, budgets, time schedules and much more, but there is a process to this madness. The biggest truth from this is that we must be honest with each other. If you have had bad results from a trainer or company be honest with another agency. We want to maintain and protect our profession; good training can protect it. Train Smart!
William L. Harvey | Chief
William L. "Bill" Harvey is a U.S. Army Military Police Corps veteran. He has a BA in criminology from St. Leo University and is a graduate of the Southern Police Institute of the University of Louisville (103rd AOC). Harvey served for over 23 years with the Savannah (GA) Police Department in field operations, investigations and completed his career as the director of training. Served as the chief of police of the Lebanon City Police Dept (PA) for over seven years and then ten years as Chief of Police for the Ephrata Police Dept (PA). In retirement he continues to publish for professional periodicals and train.
