The program works like this: When a new officer graduates from the academy they enter Phase One of the Field Training Program. They are assigned to a Field Training Officer on 3rd Shift (10:00 pm – 6:00 am) where they will spend a minimum of five weeks. Each day the officer is evaluated in twenty-five different areas by the Field Training Officer. Upon successful completion of Phase One the new officer will be assigned to another Field Training Officer, this time on 1st Shift (6:00 am – 2:00 pm) where they will spend a minimum of four weeks being evaluated. If they successfully complete Phase Two the new officer will be assigned to another Field Training Officer on 2nd Shift (2:00 pm – 10:00 pm) where they will spend four more weeks being evaluated. Once that officer has completed the first three phases he/she will be assigned to yet another Field Training Officer for what is called “The Ghost Phase.” The “Ghost Phase” is one week long and is called the ghost phase because the Field Training Officer remains in the background, like a ghost, while the new officer handles all the calls for service by himself. The Field Training Officer’s evaluation of the officer’s performance during this week will determine whether or not that new officer is assigned to a permanent shift and allowed to begin their career as a Texarkana Arkansas Police Officer.
For a look at the many different areas of training that a new officer must experience click on “FTO FORMS.”