"Minimum Training Syllabus"
"Getting Started" Series
By Captain Chuck Mantkus, NRLO Director of Training

NOTE:  NEW - DHS WMD/Terrorism Training Programs
FREE courses with expenses paid by DHS - resident courses at New Mexico Tech/EMRTC or AT YOUR LOCATION.

Syllabus for Reserves/Auxiliaries who have "arrest powers"
Click here for Syllabus for Reserves/Auxiliaries who will not have "arrest powers."
Click here for Syllabus for Basic Detention Training
Click here for Commissions on Officer Standards and Education/Training by state (if your state's information is missing, please check back.)

Be sure to read the following before implementing any syllabus

If your state's requirements of Reserve Law Enforcement Officer "Minimum Standards of Training and Certification" is not listed on NRLO's "State Requirements" pages, it is recommended that you check back later or contact your State Law Enforcement Academy or Authority for definitions of your states' Reserve Basic Training Program, Certification/Licensing, and Continued Education.  Also check Reserve Law Enforcement Officers Firearms Training Requirements.

If a training syllabus does not exist in your state, coordinate with your Law Enforcement Academy/Authority in developing one.  You will find they will work with you and possibly furnish you with Certified Instructors to help you develop your training Program.

Liability Insurance can usually tie in with City, County, or State policies.  If medical insurance is not available in such a tie-in (and many times it's not) NRLO provides its Membership with in-line-of-duty Accidental Medical Coverage (up to $30,000.00) , Life Insurance ($30,000.00) and Medical Disability Coverage ($200.00 weekly).  Click here for NRLO Benefits and Services.

IF CERTIFICATION/LICENSING IS NOT PROVIDED BY YOUR STATE 

Certification/Licensing is not required by some states; however, state laws are always changing. It should be necessary for all Reserves to have a well-rounded "Basic Training Program" in Law Enforcement.  All training should be documented and copies kept in each Officer's portfolio.  Courts have declared, "If it isn't documented, it never happened."

Each Law Enforcement Agency has its own policies, duties, programs, and ways of training.  There are a multitude of job descriptions or assignments, and each section of the country has its own specific needs and problems.  These job descriptions influence the type of training needed and must correspond with each Agency's needs.

It is best if the Agency can have their Reserves perform the same duties as full-time Officers.  A Reserve operating under such conditions would need to have the same training as Regular Officers.  If the Reserve does not have arrest powers or the authority to perform as a Regular Officer, then the training can be subdued.

A Reserve must have a basic working knowledge of the full-time Officer's duties in order to competently assist that Officer when called upon.  The proper training of any Reserve, along with credible documentation, is a very important liability factor.  

TRAINING PROGRAMS

Training and Continued Education are constant, on-going operations and should be integrated into every Law Enforcement Agency.  The suggested courses (Syllabus for Minimum Training "with arrest powers" below and Syllabus for Minimum Training "without arrest powers") are approved Academy training and can be taught by any experienced, general Law Enforcement Instructors.  The only possible exception to this would be Firearms and Defensive Driving Instructors.  The more Certified a Training Officer or Agency is, the more training credibility that training will have.

Training for Reserves/Auxiliaries with "Arrest Powers"

Training is the key word in Law Enforcement survival in the field; and in order to survive, you must have the proper training by accredited Officers.  These Officers must be experts in their respective fields.  Without their experience, knowledge, and teaching qualities, your life could be in jeopardy the minute you pin on your badge and strap on your gun.  Although I may sound repetitive, repetition is the key factor to survival.  So, if you continue to train, repeat your exercises until they become automatic. You may not end up being an expert, but you will survive.

Each day you are on duty, each call that you make, and each time you confront another individual, you are making a "gun" call.  There is at least one gun in every encounter - "yours."  This last statement alone should give you a clue as to what might happen if you did not have the proper training.  The presence of a weapon might give some people ideas which they did not have before you entered the scene.  It is going to be entirely up to you as to whether or not you contribute to the problem by not using what you are taught in training - especially in defensive tactics training and in weapon retention.  Protecting your equipment should be automatic, and weapon retention should be a part of your continuous training program.  The word automatic appears again.  The practice you receive during training sessions should be carried on through your off-duty hours so that the right habits you have been taught become automatic.  If you think that the training you received during training sessions is sufficient, you are making a tragic mistake.

Each call you make should be self-analyzed.  Did you make an error in judgment?  Did you make a tactical error and now realize that you were lucky you survived?  Have you ever done something, felt foolish about it, and looked around to see if anyone was watching?  Did you ever break out in a cold sweat after you thought about what you had done?  If you have, be sure you don't make that mistake again.

The most drawbacks of training sessions focus on mentally preparing Officers on how to deal with threats.  You must have a daily training regime where your body automatically responds to cues from your mind.  I read this some place, and I want to pass it on to you.  "If the psychological preparedness instilled in the classroom turns your daily tour of duty into a workshop and the time spent translates into an honest, personal critique of your actions, then perhaps everything will fall into place when a problem arises."

Following is a basic program that might get a small Department started for Reserves/Auxiliaries with "arrest power."  The main thing is to get started.  Call on NRLO for advice and suggestions.

Click here for Minimum Training Syllabus for Reserves/Auxiliaries without "arrest power."

MINIMUM TRAINING PROGRAM
Syllabus for Reserves/Auxiliaries with "Arrest Power"
Example Table         Total 180 Hours

• ETHICS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
  2 hours Ethics
  2 hours Public and Officer/Violator Relations
  4 hours Sexual Harassment
• BASIC RADIO PROCEDURES
  2 hours Codes - Procedures
• REPORT WRITING
  4 hours Report Writing
  3 hours Courtroom Testimony
• COURTS AND CORRECTIONS
  1/2 hour State court System
  1/2 hour Federal Court System
  1 hour Corrections
• CHILDRENS' CODE
  2 hours Childrens' Code
• PROBABLE CAUSE & LAWS OF ARREST
  2 hours Probable Cause
  2 hours Laws of Arrest
• CONSTITUTIONAL LAWS AND INTERVIEWING
  1 hour Constitutional Law
  1 hour Interviewing
• SEARCH & SEIZURE
  2 hours 4th Amendment Issues
  1 hour General
• WARRANTLESS ARREST
  1 hour Warrantless Arrest
• LAWS OF EVIDENCE
  2 hours Laws of Evidence
• CRIMINAL LAW
  1 hour Introduction and Elements
  1 hour Entry Crimes
  2 hours Property Crimes
  2 hours Crimes Against Persons
  1 hour Crimes Against Public Peace
  1 hour Liquor Laws
• CIVIL RIGHTS
  2 hours Civil Rights
• MOTOR VEHICLE LAWS
  1 hour Motor Vehicle Laws Intro
  2 hours Common Statutes
  2 hours Accident Investigation
  1 hour DWI Enforcement
• INVESTIGATIONS
  1 hour Preliminary Investigations
  1 hour Death Investigations
  1 hour Auto Theft Investigations
  1 hour Burglary Investigations
  1 hour Robbery Investigations
• USE OF FORCE
  4 hours Use of Force
• FIREARMS
  8 hours Classroom Training
  16 hours Range Training
  8 hours Range Qualifications
• DEFENSIVE TACTICS
  8 hours Classroom Training
  8 hours Hands-On Training
• PATROL TACTICS
  8 hours Classroom Training
  4 hours Building Searches
• TRAFFIC STOPS
  6 hours Classroom Training
  8 hours Field Training
• DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
  8 hours Classroom Training
  8 hours Field Training
• PRISONER CUSTODY & TRANSPORTATION
  2 hours Custody Procedures
  2 hours Transporting & Searching
• NARCOTICS
  4 hours Drug I.D., etc.
• HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
  4 hours Safety & Control
• DEFENSIVE DRIVING
  8 hours Defensive Driving
• CPR & FIRST AID
  12 hours CPR & First Aid

                                                  180 TOTAL HOURS

NOTE:  Additional courses should be factored in as special needs apply.  For instance, the Luna County Sheriff's Reserve in New Mexico must take a Border Drug Interdiction Program of an additional 30 hours. 

If a Department has a Detention Center, a course of 40 hours should be taken by those Reserves who would like to assist in the Jail area.

Click here for additional training syllabus for Reserves who will not have "arrest powers"

NATIONAL RESERVE LAW OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
P.O. BOX 6505    SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78209
(210) 805-8917   FAX: (210) 804-2463