From Compliance to Competence: Advancing Police Training Through Strategic Instructor Development

From Compliance to Competence: Advancing Police Training Through Strategic Instructor Development
By: Captain Joseph Niemiec

The role of the leader is to embrace that variation and raise every single individual to a level that allows them to perform at their very best. - Joko Willink

Over the last twenty years, police training has advanced exponentially. Police departments’ training programs typically align with trends in society, military research, and court rulings. Those shaping the field of police training include government researchers, training organizations, and individual police trainers working within or alongside the profession. Although this diversity is beneficial, it raises an important question: how can training managers find, evaluate, and produce effective up-to-date training and instructors without incurring rising costs?

Cost and the Right Person
Finding quality courses can be both challenging and expensive. Training managers often identify courses and send their top performers to attend, with the goal of increasing knowledge and capability. While this benefits the individual, it’s worth asking whether this approach best serves the department’s overall training mission.

The other option is managers will bring instructors to the department in the hopes of providing an outside view for their officers.  This is a good solution but it can be both costly on finances and resources.  In this scenario departments will only be able to train a limited amount of people and hope that the “message” is sent by officers that attended.

In Good to Great, the author emphasizes getting “the right people in the right seats.” When sending personnel to training, managers should consider not only who will gain knowledge from the class but also who can bring that knowledge back and effectively integrate it into the department’s training program. This leads to an important question, what traits should we look for in a trainer?

Trait 1: A Desire for Others to Succeed
We’ve all known the officer who excels at everything, the one who consistently outperforms the group. This officer will likely do well in any class and make your program look good. However, if they lack the passion to help others succeed, their contribution will remain self-serving.

The true mark of a great trainer is someone who strives to make those around them better. Look for the officer who takes pride in helping others reach their potential, not just in their own success.

Trait 2: Empathy
An effective trainer sees training through the students’ eyes, not as a critic of every student’s performance. Seek out those who recognize potential in others and constantly think about ways to improve.

Too often, police trainers pigeonhole people and, in doing so, overlook potential great instructors. Foster and select those who say, “I know that person is struggling, maybe we should try a different approach,” instead of, “That person just isn’t good at this.”

Trait 3: Persistence
The best trainers I have developed were not always the top performers at first, they were the ones with the work ethic to keep pushing forward. When looking for instructors, find the officer who is willing to put in the extra effort to improve.

Once you invest in developing them, it will become clear how dedicated they are not only to their own growth but to helping other officers succeed as well.

Implementation
Once the right people are selected and trained, the next step is integrating what they’ve learned into the department’s training program. Training managers should focus on how to adapt and implement new information effectively.After determining that new material will benefit your program, collaboration with subject matter experts, legal advisors, and command staff is essential for gaining buy-in.

For years, my department sent a select few to advanced courses, often at considerable cost. When we began sending people who could not only learn but also teach and integrate that knowledge upon return, we saw real change. We started running our own specialized training and developing lesson plans internally.

In South Carolina, the state mandates that police officers complete 40 hours of training every three years, covering essential topics such as driving, use of force, less-lethal options, and firearms. Often, this training can resemble a "check ride" for a pilot, more of a compliance exercise than a developmental opportunity. This is a missed step that many departments fall into that North Charleston fights against. 

Since North Charleston adopted a more progressive training methodology, we've expanded on the state requirements by providing 60 hours of standard training annually, along with an additional 40 hours of advanced training available to officers.A great example of how we've leveraged this approach occurred when we sent several of our instructorsto multiple advanced training courses. Upon their return, we tasked them with developing a sustainable program that incorporated both foundational and advanced elements.The result was a comprehensive, reality-based training course focused on response to residences.

Officers begin the course by learning basic defensive tactics, which are progressively built upon throughout the day. The instructors integrate de-escalation techniques, effective communication, and weapons handling into the curriculum.In the second half of the course, officers are placed in multiple high-stress scenarios that test their physical endurance and decision-making under pressure. This added stress allows officers to observe and reflect on their own reactions in realistic situations.Perhaps the most impactful addition to the course was the structured debriefing process. Drawing on their advanced training and instructional skills, our instructors provided meaningful, individualized feedback to officers of all skill levels. This feedback loop has proven essential in reinforcing learning and improving performance across the board.

As these programs like this became ingrained in the department’s culture, participation increased. More officers began signing up, including those who previously had little interest in extra training. The challenge of getting officers comfortable with remediation also improved because the officers knew that the instructors were not there to make judgments.

The positive attitudes and traits of our instructors began to influence others, creating a ripple effect. As word spread, officers became open to learning, and over time, we discovered even more officerswho went through the instructor process and found success.

This approach produced training that was not only as effective as what we previously paid for but also more consistent and tailored to our agency’s specific needs.

Captain Joseph Niemiec is a 21-year law enforcement veteran with extensive experience in training and organizational development. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from The Citadel and is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School for Staff and Command. For the past 15 years, he has led and advanced police training programs, focusing on officer development, evidence-based practices, and modern policing strategies. jniemiec@northcharleston.org