Training Police Officers Who'll School New Cops On The Beat

WATERFORD, CT — Police here have a big, and important, job ahead.

Waterford Police are hosting a Field Training Course this week where police officers from a number of Connecticut police departments will have officers trained as Field Training Officers "responsible for training new officers after graduating the police academy."

In a post to Facebook, an officer wrote: "I will be brutally honest here.....it is not an easy job. There is a lot of extra work, responsibility and stress associated with training a new cop. FTOs become the new officers first line supervisor while training, which certainly can prepare them for later advancement as well."

The course is being led by Waterford Police officers Nicolas Surdo and Richard Avdevich as well as Willimantic Police Cpl. Matthew Nixon.

Attending the course are officers from eight departments including Norwich, New London, Waterford, Montville, Mashuntucket, East Lyme, Killingly, and Colchester police departments.

Also attending the training are Eastern Connecticut State University officers and officers from the Judicial Marshal service.