Shadow phase

[crass cop]

what they said.......ask for help.

WHEN IN DOUBT, CUFF THEM UP! You can always take the cuffs off if youve screwed up....youre main concern is going home after shift.

Good luck, advise how it goes

[candidateyellow]

Remember your resources. Nobody has seen everything. It's annoying to see someone making mistakes because they are too proud to ask and too embarrassed to look it up. Or the other way around. You'll do fine.

[Presence 1*]

From one rookie to another, you are constantly going to come upon stuff you haven't encountered yet in your training. Expect to feel a little lost, a little unsure of what to do.

The point of the shadow phase is for others to observe you and make sure that you are doing things up to snuff. They don't expect you to be perfect or completely self-sufficient. They are observing your officer safety, your interactions with the public, your self-initiated work, etc. Just do what they taught you in FTO and you should be fine.

My first week on my own, it felt like every single call was something that hadn't come up in FT, so I didn't know what the protocol was to handle it.

As bikecop136 mentioned, lean on your brothers when you have questions - they should be HAPPY to help you out. They were in your shoes once. I suggest getting the phone numbers for a couple of the guys on your shift, ones that wouldn't mind you calling them if you have a question. That way you don't end up running to your sgt or lt all the time.

[bikecop136]

Your Brother Officers will always be there to help you out. Thats what is great about the job. Your shift is one big team. Do not ever be afraid to ask. Good luck with your career....

[mdrdep]

When you come across something you haven't been exposed to yet ASK. I have 20+ years on the job and every now and then I still come across something I've never seen before. What we are looking for (in cases like this) is your ability to know when you need help and your ability to be humble enough to ask.

[creedstaind]

I start the "shadow phase" of training on Tuesday night, it will last 3 weeks. I guess at this point I'm supposed to be able to do the basics on my own without help from the FTO. I feel I can handle the basics, but I just KNOW i'm going to encounter something I haven't encountered yet and that's what makes me nervous. Any advice for a rook?