New hires:
Newly hired MDSPED trainees will go through 12 weeks of training before they are released from training. The following outlines what a MSPRED Trainee can expect each week of training:
Week one: Meet employees and command staff at the barrack. Get a tour of the facility and be provided general rules and regulations of the barrack.
Week two: Radio recognition. The MDSPED Trainee will sit next to their Communications Training Officer (CTO) and document all radio transmissions on a word document. This ensures the trainee can perform the basic skill of understanding radio transmissions while being able to record them properly.
Week three: Phone familiarization: how to use the system and answer routine calls. While answering the phones, the CTO will also cover how to handle emergency calls for service.
Week four: Answering routine calls and emergency calls for service.
Week five: Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) training.
Week six: METERs/NCIC training.
Week seven: If the trainee has proven proficient in all of the above skills, the CTO will start them communicating on the radio, and begin using METERS and the CAD.
Week eight through Week twelve: prove independent working skills with the CTO observing.
Most trainees are not released from training for at least 12 weeks due to the amount of information and occupational skills needed for this position. They must also attend a Basic PCO class within the first 6 months of hire.
At no time during the training process is a trainee to be left without supervision during their shift. The CTO will closely monitor the trainee during all interactions with the public, other employees and allied agencies.
Annual Training:
MSPEDs I, II, III and Supervisors are given 24 hrs of in-service training each year. Every other year, the Supervisor's in-service will have additional training modules. The training modules have included CAD, NCIC, personal development, emergency call handling and conflict management.
Career Development Training:
The Professional Development Unit of the Education and Training Division maintains a training catalog of training courses available to sworn and civilian personnel.
