Will Your Department Pay You to Attend Outside Training?

[DaBigBR]

As you may predict, there was a reason for the question.

Prior to probably 2020, it was a flat "no" with silly reasoning. The last person that got shot down was a K9 handler that wanted to go a K9-related class that we could not afford to send him to. He was going to pay all the costs and just wanted the time to be treated as regular pay (no overtime or anything...just count it as a duty day). He was denied because 1) the other K9 handler wasn't going to get to go and 2) if they approved this, people would want work time for all sorts of things. Both stupid arguments but there was no negotiating on it. He ended up just not going to the class out of spite.

In 2020, following a change in admin, I got approval to go to a couple classes. The PD gave me regular duty pay, no overtime, no ammo, no gas, per diem, etc. The classes (Sage Dynamics RDS Instructor and Centrifuge VCQB Instructor) were massively helpful to us implementing our RDS and vehicle programs. Following those classes, we generally were allowing people to go to stuff. I believe since then we've send people to Reston, Pressburg, Modern Samurai Project, Symtac, Centrifuge and probably others, plus some of the Street Cop Training and other classes. This culminated in me hosting No Fail Pistol and the PD authorizing backfill overtime for anybody that wanted to attend. We sent 11 or 12 people, all on their own dime, which I thought was pretty awesome since most of those people had never done an outside class and probably would not have done one if they had the additional burden of travel costs.

Recently, I signed up for a class with Donovan Moore (Point 1 Tactics), which happened to be on my day off, and have been told that we are now only willing to cover people's time on a work day. They also did not like that I did not ask before registering, but I've been very clear with everything I have attended that I am going to attend either way and that often classes fill faster than our agency can process a request (this class filled in hours). The whole thing seems silly to me. I know they don't know me anything and that any allowance for something like this is a perk, but it flies in the face of several years of normal practice and is overall kind of a kick in the dick. I think in the long run it will discourage people from seeking outside opportunities.

So my thread is half data collection and half pity party.

[Coyotesfan97]

As you may predict, there was a reason for the question.

Prior to probably 2020, it was a flat "no" with silly reasoning. The last person that got shot down was a K9 handler that wanted to go a K9-related class that we could not afford to send him to. He was going to pay all the costs and just wanted the time to be treated as regular pay (no overtime or anything...just count it as a duty day). He was denied because 1) the other K9 handler wasn't going to get to go and 2) if they approved this, people would want work time for all sorts of things. Both stupid arguments but there was no negotiating on it. He ended up just not going to the class out of spite.

Generally my department would give us duty time and allow us to take cars to instate training. Our commander could approve instate stuff. One guy did get to go to the LASD SEB school. He got duty time to attend IIRC. If it was out of state our asst Chief had to approve. Most of the time guys could get it lined up.

We did get approval for four handlers per year to go to a big K9 seminar for in service training. I went to HITS three times. One was in Phoenix but I went to Dallas and DC for the other two. But other than that our training budget was fairly low. Fortunately our State K9 Association had great training at low prices. We had a K9 Survival School that takes place in Prescott in the summer. Three day in Prescott in July is nice!

[Hambo]

Yes, with conditions.

-If the department sent you, you got tuition, lodging, per diem, released from work and paid.
-If you asked to go, getting paid/released from duty was another story. The more time you spent under a supervisor or chief's desk was a major factor in approval.

[jnc36rcpd]

My former agency ran hot and cold. The department funded air travel, lodging, and tuition for a one week trip to Florida to attend then Metro-Dade's officer survival instructor school. On the other hand, a DARE officer was repeatedly denied travel to Las Vegas forr the annual DARE conference because it would appear to be a junket. The agency paid for an ASLET (which is now ILEETA) conference that I could Metro to, but declined to send me to the annual conference in Alaska.

Some decisions were simply sound personnel and financial management. Others were arbitrary and poorly reasoned.
One executive denied my request for a less-lethal munitions instructor course because I should attend "advanced management training". (I did enjoy hearing that executive gulp when the chief asked me how the less lethal program was going at a staff meeting.) Another executive seemingly scoured training records in the desperate hope that an officer had attended a similar program some months or years prior. He would then send the training request back with a smug notation (because nothing in his law enforcement world has changed in his forty year tenure). As TECC was in its infancy, he denied my request to attend a sheriff's office medical class geared for warrant squads and firearms instructors. He denied this because I was not assigned to a warrant squad, apparently forgetting who was wearing the red shirt and giving range commands when he qualified the last week of every year.

No issues attending training on my own time and often with department ammunition.

My current employer has personal improvement funds which can be used for college courses and so forth. The agency advertised for volunteers to attend a de-escalation instructor course. I assumed that the agency would pay for this. Nope, personal improvement funds which couldn't be used because the fiscal year was over. Officers with no prior experience are also expected to use these funds to attend the two week special police officer course....hosted by the employer.

Looking back ,my former employer wasn't bad.

[UNM1136]

Sometimes. Dept sent me to Ken's Specialized Armaments armorer course once, and a Glock armorer's course taught by Dennis Tueller once, but I agreed to basically pay for the class, eat the per diem (my in-laws were PHX local residents), and go on my own dime.

They surprisingly did pay for local AFHF with TLG and local ECQC with @SouthNarc, neither of which were DPS approved for advanced training, but was seen as my reward for faithful service.

Currently working on getting @AsianJedi's class approved as duty days, with the dept. providing half the ammo. Not holding my breath, but I WILL be in the class...

pat

[DaBigBR]

Went to the class that I was denied duty time for yesterday. Boss asked me how it was tonight. Told him it's none of the PD's business. Mostly joking, but I'm still a little sore about it.