Student Feedback

Please click on the arrows to read reviews from the following courses

FTO Update in Paso Robles 2024

"Outstanding instructor. Most enjoyable training I’ve attended over 12 year in LE" -Anonymous

"Overall outstanding class that broke down numerous concepts of teaching. It was a true train the trainer type of class. Best of all it fixed my fear of public speaking. Great job Don!" -San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office

"Instructor Jewell was extremely knowledgeable and informative. He instructed with enthusiasm and confidence throughout the course. His passion for the work he does shines through his work. I will be recommending this course to our training coordinator in hopes to use it as our standard FTO update." -East Bay Regional Park District PD

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Being an update course and, based on my initial FTO course, I entered the course unsure as to how it would be presented. This course was informative and engaging to students as opposed to the traditional power point and reading material. I believe the course gave me many tools to move forward to be a better training officer that will fulfill the needs of my trainees and protect myself and agency from previously unforeseen liability." -Atascadero Police Department

"The class was well put together and engaging. The material covered drastically improved my knowledge for documentation and ways to improve our FTO program. I will be excited to recommend this class and program to fellow FTO’s at my department." -Ventura PD

"I appreciate the instructor’s expertise.  He presented information I wasn’t previously aware of and clearly presented the importance of FTO/ department liability.  Although I probably won’t remember the names of the various teaching domains, he made the concepts easy to understand." -Gilroy PD

"This is the 3rd FTO Update I have attended and has been, by far, the most informative and relevant." -UCLA PD

"Great updates on new legal issues. Best update class one had. Will definitely implement some of the training techniques" -San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Office

"Overall what a great class. Very engaging with class and including class participation. Felt like it was a class led teaching style with the instructor pointing us in the right direction. Made the days go by quickly and enjoyed working with others agencies around the room as each day changed." -Paso Robles Police Department

"This was a great class. Your instruction was better than almost all other classes I've attended in my career" -King City PD

"Thank you for going over the legal aspect. Non of this was covered in my first FTO class. So it’s nice to be more educated in this area as I felt I was lacking it when I realized on our first day." -Modesto Police Department

"I learned a ton. Especially with liability and what changes need to be made to my FTP. Thank you!" -Alameda PD

"I enjoy the amount of teach backs and classroom participation." -Anonymous

FTO in Tracy 2024

"I liked that there was a lot of class engagement and kept everyone in the discussion" -Antioch PD

"Over all great instructors and class" -DLA San Joaquin PD

"Course was EXCELLENT. Instructors Jewell and Henderson were second to none! This course was extremely insightful! Thank you" -San Joaquin County Probation

"The instructor displayed extensive knowledge of the subject matter, maintained a high level of professionalism, and conveyed a strong passion for the topic, all of this significantly made the learning environment more enjoyable" -Menlo Park PD

"The program is overall extremely influential in terms of solidifying the value and importance of having good FTO’s for all agencies and the liability they carry in a department. Overall was provided with a wide range of influence to help better myself as an officer for my department" -Merced PD

"Very educational and fun" -Department of Defense - Defense Logistics Agency 

"Excellent training that I will utilize throughout my career, and not just in a training role" -Bart PD

"Very well at tying Day 1 information throughout whole training. Everything circled back into itself and showed its relevancy" -Tulare PD

"Thank you for the instructions. Legal liability portion of the course was great" -Novato PD

"Course challenges officers to think to not only be solid trainers, but also to be cognizant of the legalities and policy guidelines. I learned to work efficiently even in uncomfortable situations" -Tulare PD

"I enjoyed the classroom portion especially how involved we were as students" -Livermore PD

"Instructors were knowledgeable in the materials and objectives. Gave good advise as it pertains to completing FTO related topics and duties" -Tracy PD

"This was a very good class with a lot of tangible information. I feel much more comfortable with training moving forward. Both presenters were excellent and very knowledgeable" -Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office

"Informative" -Tracy PD


Background Investigator 8/19 2024

"Very well organized course. Good used of Google Drive and Docs. Links were helpful" -Santa Rosa PD

"Great course! I'm glad I took it. It will help me conduct better background investigations" -Self Sponsored

"Thank you all. I will keep these skills for the rest of my life. I feel prepared to jump into a background." -Self-Sponsored (Menifee Police)

"Thank you! Excellent training and fun instructors." -Self Sponsored

"Based on this class and instruction I would be ready to start background investigations" -Murrieta PD

"Great class! Great instructors! Very engaging and lots of good info!" -Self Sponsored

"Great class, very informative!" -Private Investigator Company

"Jim and Betsy i want to thank you guys for your patience in explaining all this and the why. You both have a great skill set and bring different experiences which is very helpful from this side of the computer. This was my first online course and i was worried with all the tech issues that could happen. I would take another online course with this experience. I did have a few connection issues but you guys were there to make sure I was able to get back on and stay with the class. Thank both of you very much" -San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office

"Great class and teachers! You guys were amazing." -LAPD

"Thank you so much! I learned a lot during this course." - Long Beach PD
"Great instructors. Very approachable, easy to work with, and well versed in this course. A++" -Self Sponsored

"Overall, great webinar course. Better than expected, especially with the organization of the files and thforms that are needed for the process. Makes things easier to follow and to know what is needed for the background process. I had no knowledge of the background process and went in without knowing any details or procedures. I have a clearer picture now of what is expected and how the process works. I would definitely recommend this course to others." -San Gabriel PD

"Excellent class. Format was great, the Zoom thing worked. Big thank you to the presenters. They were great." -Private Investigation Company

"Great class with very knowledgeable instructors. I learned a lot and feel very confident in my ability to conduct a thorough investigation based on their teaching. Thank you so much!!!" -Contra Costa County Probation 

FTO Update in Belmont 2024

"Gridiron training has always delivered good classes and content. Trainer Don Jewell exemplifies this standard in his teaching and rapport with the class." -Piedmont PD

"Mr. Jewell's knowledge, enthusiasm and presentation are superior.  He clearly loves what he does and is a highly effective teacher.  I love the group interaction and being able to learn and use different teaching methods. This was a great course and was very beneficial." -Contra Costa County Sheriff 

"Awesome program. So much information gained." -Contra Costa County Sheriff 

"I have taken this course with other companies. This was by far better training due to the methods of teaching." -Anonymous

"Great refresher course on best practices, thanks!" -South San Francisco PD

"The instructor was fantastic! He leads students to think critically and come up with solutions, while being a valuable resource of information. I would take another class with this instructor." -South San Francisco PD

"The instructor was extremely knowledgeable and made all the course content easy to understand and practical to our profession.  There are no improvements I would make to this course." -Sunnyvale DPS

"I appreciated all the teaching on learning styles and really explaining the remediation plans" -Rohnert Park DPS

"I cannot think of a program improvements." -Stanford DPS

"This was a well thought  out training class. I was very impressed with the level of training and knowledge I received from the instructor. I feel better prepared to be  an FTO at my new department." -Livermore PD

"Don made this class both educational and enjoyable" -Marin County Sheriff

Background Investigator 8/8 2024

"Very solid course and presented well." -Tehama County District Attorney-Bureau of Investigations

"I appreciate the instructors, it's a good class" -El Monte Police Department

"Great class, actually learned a lot" -Los Angeles Police Department 

"You guys are awesome!" -El Monte PD

"Good training course, very informative." -El Monte Police Department

"I enjoyed the class. The instructors were great and we had a great group on participants. Thank you!" -Self Sponsored

"Both instructors were great. Organized and easy to follow. I appreciated this class and the online format was great. Thank you! I feel more confident going back to work and can't wait to apply what I have learned." -LAPD

"I did not think I would like the Web format, but our instructors were organized. They had materials and files ready for working together in small and large groups. Actually impressed at well it went. If POST approves other web-based training, it should be modeled after Gridirons format and instructors." -San Francisco Sheriff's Office

"Enjoyed training. Usually not a fan of zoom meetings, however, this was engaging and challenging. Thank you for your time." -LAPD

"The best online class i have taken, great job mixing things up with groups and pace of class overall" -San Diego Harbor Police Department

"Thank you for your time. It was great training." -El Monte Police Department

Background Investigator 7/18/2024

"Thank you for your time and teaching me and the rest of us about backgrounds." -California Highway Patrol

"I thought that doing this class over zoom would be difficult but you guys made it fun." -Self Sponsored

"Great job! Speed of information was good. Enjoyed the work groups instead of listening to an instructor talk all week." -Self Sponsored

"Thank you for making the training online. I was able to take this course from home!" -Department of State Hospitals - Napa

"Really enjoyed the break out group I was assigned to and loved the instructors who made this week pretty darn fun! :o) Thank you!" -Private Investigator Company

"The hosts ability to navigate an entire week-long course via zoom was impressive. It is one of the best, of the hundreds of courses I have attended. Zoom was not a negative in any way with the mastery of the topics and platform that you both showed. Thank you!!!" -San Diego Community College District PD

"I hope to take more trainings with Gridiron in the future and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this class to other investigators or my previous agency." -Private Investigator Company

"Thank you. Zoom version of POST classes is so much more tolerable than the in-person classes." -Self Sponsored

"Overall, great course. As a former investigator, it's nice to see a comprehensive training curriculum where we used to have nothing." -California Highway Patrol

"One of the better courses with mixture of instruction and hands on assignments" -Self Sponsored

"Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge with us!" -Carlsbad Police Department

"The website and Google Docs is awesome! It really helped keep everything together. You kept me active/busy/mentally engaged every day with activities and the day was over before I knew it! I normally never recommend Zoom trainings, but I would definitely recommend this one. :)" -Paso Robles PD

"Very good course. I was reluctant to take this course because of the online aspect, but it was a very good course." -Central Marin Police Authority

"Very well structured class. Very easy to learn." -Self Sponsored

"Thank you!! great class!!!" -Clovis Unified School District Police Department

"Everything was great, good as is. I just need to get used to Zoom and digital learning" -Self Sponsored

"Informative and enjoyable course. Engaging and the group work rooms provided a better understanding of the topics." -San Joaquin County Probation

"I learned a lot! Thank you!" -Self Sponsored

From FTO 40hr in Rohnert Park 2024

"Enjoyed it! Very informative" -Santa Rosa PD

"Best Post class so far" Cal Fire Law Enforcemnt

"One of best LE classes I have been to" -Anonymous

"Thank you for a fantastic experience!" -Anonymous

"It was a really good class" Yuba City PD

"I enjoyed the teaching style and appreciated the reminders to seek the info I needed. I was put in the same place as a trainee" -Willits PD

"Excellent class" -College of Marin

"I appreciated the Admin perspective offered on certain topics. It is interesting to see how the other side works and thinks" -Contra Costa Community College District PD

"Loved the teaching method" -Contra Costa Community College District PD

"I thought the way the course was instructed was great. It provided great training in a place where there was room for open discussion" -Anonymous

"I learned a lot of things I didn't know about. Such as Blooms taxonomy and other learning domains. Thank you!" -Monterey County Sheriffs Office

"Great course presenters, they kept the class active and was not death by PowerPoint which was really helpful. Thank you" -Sonoma County Sheriffs Office

"The instructors were obviously highly knowledgeable in the subject areas. The instructors use facilitation well to teach. The class was engaging and kept us mentally active" -Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety

"Thank you for your hard work and great training! The training far exceeded what I was expecting" -Willits PD

"Thank you, I truly enjoyed this class and feel prepared for my new role" -Novato PD

"Great class I appreciated the instructors experience and knowledge" -Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office

"This class opened my eyes to the real responsibilities an FTO has and was a great class" -Yuba City PD

"I like the real world examples. I was glad this is an interactive class and not just teaching by PowerPoint. Thank you!" -Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office

"I very much appreciated the instruction and both instructors. They were well knowledgeable and provided awesome feedback. Thank you for sharing your expertise!" -Anonymous

"This class exceeded my expectations. The class work load was extensive and pushed me as a learner. I greatly appreciated the dedication of the instructors and their dedication to us as students" -Chico Police Department

"This course was exceptional. Both instructors were very passionate about the subject matter which creates an excellent learning environment. I appreciated their teaching styles which incorporated the students very well. I’d highly recommend this course." -Rohnert Park DPS

From FTO 40hr in San Luis Obispo 2024

"10/10 recommend the basic FTO certification course with Gridiron training. The instructors were clear and concise with teaching the course. Trust the method to the madness" -Atascadero PD

"I absolutely recommend attending the basic FTO course" -Anonymous

"Wonderful course with great instructing" -San Luis Obsipo County Sheriff

"Appreciate the engaging activities as opposed to PowerPoint presentation" -Atascadero PD

"Great class!" -San Luis Obispo County Sheriff

"Great teaching, really took a lot out of the class. Also enjoyed the real aspect and the reality of being a field training officer" -Grover Beach PD

"Course is very well organized and put together, very well thought out. It was clear that the instructors were very knowledgeable and passionate in their craft" -San Luis Obispo County Sheriff

"Great class. I like that it was not PowerPoint driven and involved exercises with critical thinking" -Santa Clara County Sheriff 

"Wonderful program" -Atascadero State Hospital 

"I appreciate you gearing scenarios toward our environment, I.e. custodial vs. patrol" -Department of State Hospitals- Atascadero

"Thank you, learned a lot about who I can be as an trainer and what I can offer" -Union City PD

"This course provided subject matter experts. The information was very valuable. The importance of the FTO position was appropriately stated. Thank you for all the good information" -Paso Robles PD

"Well presented and taught. Provided the information needed to be successful in this position" -Modesto PD

"This course, and instructors, surpassed my expectations. I was expecting “death by PowerPoint”, but it was the opposite. This course was engaging and addressed all types of learning styles" -Department of State Hospitals, Atascadero 

"Overall I was impressed with how engaging this course was.  I have been to numerous POST courses which were dry and unengaging.  Both Don and Jeff were impressive in their articulation, personal style, and obvious passion for this topic" -Clovis PD

"The learning techniques I learned from Don are invaluable. I will be utilizing him and his teachings as a resource in training for the rest of my career" -Atascadero State Hospital

From FTO 40hr in Belmont 2024

"This class exceeded my expectations. I was engaged with the entire class. I acquired a lot of knowledge" -Menlo Park PD

"Very good class. Class participation fostered a positive learning environment and reduced stress" -Escondido PD

"Loved the training" -San Mateo PD

"This class exceeded my expectations. The class was informative and interesting. It's hard to think of any areas of improvement. Lots of class engagement. I felt like the class kept me awake and engaged all week. The instructors were TOP NOTCH. Thank you" -Escondido PD

"First FTO 40hr Post Course that I've been to which I've enjoyed. The course/instructors were hands on which is a lot better than death by powerpoint" -Anonymous

"Thank you for making this a great week" -Anonymous

"I really enjoyed this class and trainers. Thank you for giving me more information on how to be a great FTO" -Anonymous

"Great class!" -Anonymous

"This was the most engaging and interactive class I have taken. It pushed me beyond my comfort zone and encouraged me to practice my leadership skills" -Anonymous

"Thank you for a very interactive course, which I appreciated" -Anonymous

"Thank you for your passion and time" -Anonymous

"Thank you for a good week of training. I look forward to applying what was learned" -Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation

"There is a lot of information that I did not know I needed that I got from this course. I am appreciative of the instructor's knowledge and expertise to identify my deficiencies and be able to push me beyond my comfort level" -Anonymous



From FTO Update in Laguna Beach 2024

“I learned a lot in this course and will feel more confident with my next trainee” -University of California Irvine PD

“This class was very informative. For someone who is not a fan of public speaking, this class was open, friendly, and judgment free allowing me to be comfortable. Would recommend this class to others” -Seal Beach PD


“Hands down the best FTO Course and in the top five of all courses I’ve taken in 35 years” -Laguna Beach PD


"I will recommend this course to my peers" -Laguna  Beach PD

"I like how [the] instructor allowed for open discussion and personal knowledge/stories [that] related to topics discussed" -Hawthorne PD


Background Investigator 2024

"Course was fantastic, engaging content, knowledgable instructors, and plenty of oppportunities for hands-on learning. Highly reccomend it." -Placer County Probation

"The course was challenging but rewarding. The content of instruction highlighted the complexity of a background investigation. I feel confident that I can now do a thorough background investigation." -San Francisco PD

"The program is really great but there’s a lot of information to learn about BG. But overall great class with a lot of information!" -California Department of Justice

"Very interactive training and well organized, knowledgeable instructors provided a lot of great insights and tips based on real experience" -Bay Area Rapid Transit PD

"Was originally apprehensive about attending a 32 hour zoom class for the topic, but it was actually very helpful and interactive. Very well organized and hands on class." -Ventura County District Attorney

"Great course. For an on-line course, this was my first one, but i really enjoyed it. Thank you so much!" -Carlsbad PD

"This was one of my first trainings on Zoom, rather than a meeting or anything else on Zoom. I think both of you are great at running the class at a distance and keeping people engaged. Thanks for your time." -Self Sponsered

Great class!! We WILL be sending people here instead of the other classes offered. I was on the fence about this class (vs. going to an in-person class at an agency). I am glad I did and by far, this is the best class and I learned a lot of useful stuff (instead people coming back saying they learned nothing, but "got a certificate" to comply with POST). Thank you!! – Chula Vista PD


This has been one of if not the best online course I have taken. Jim and Matt do a great job of keeping everyone involved and moving forward. Thank you – San Diego County District Attorney Office


The base knowledge is excellent and having real world examples, especially personal examples, as well as

being able to review POST DORS/Remediation plans, was key in helping understand the information. I feel

like the presenters/trainers were excellent in instilling excitement in becoming an FTO. I was voluntold to do the FTO program and now that we've done training, I'm actually pretty stoked for it. -40 HR FTO SFSU PD


All instructors made the zoom based training very entertaining and interactive. The instructors were all very

informative and helpful. I wasn't too sure how this week would go on zoom, but I can say you guys did an excellent job. I really enjoyed this week of training. – 40 HR FTO Alameda PD

 

Thank you. I have taken online courses like this in the past. This class has by far been the best, most interesting, and well laid out online class I have attended. 


Really liked the breakdown of the different learning styles. I went into the class with no real knowledge on specific ways to teach others. Now leaving, I feel very confident that I will be able to find out exactly how my trainees learn and retain info.  Thanks for keeping the class lively. I can imagine that its a difficult thing for the presenters to do...especially over zoom. However, I think the instructors knocked it out of the park. -Glendale PD

 

Great course, by far the most thorough Zoom style course I have taken. Very well organized with the groups, breakout rooms etc. Great work.


The class had a good flow from topic to topics keeping everyone in the class actively participating. The use

of multiple instructors was good to see a different POV from current/former FTO's and what they found

useful to them while training trainees. -El Cajun PD

 

All the instructors were awesome. They had good stories that could be relatable. I liked that there were no

PowerPoints and that there were many break out rooms. -40 HR FTO San Bernardino County Probation Department

 

The course was great and the instructors were very knowledgeable. I would HIGHLY recommend the course to others – BIC  Lodi PD

 

Great class. Appreciate Jim & Matt having a wealth of real-life experience to share with us all. Enjoyed meeting everyone.  -BIC Department of Insurance

 

Course was scheduled great from start to finish. Great instructors and kept the class engaged. Great discussions and all questions were answered. The structure of the class was the biggest plus, especially for an online class using zoom. This was my first zoom POST class and it went great. Learned a great deal and huge confidence builder for my background investigator career. Thank you. – BIC Redondo Beach PD

 

I came away with tools and a blueprint on how to develop and complete a good background investigation. Great course, challenging, good instructors. I appreciate the tools to get started with my department.-   -Marin County Probation

 

In depth detail on remediation plans and DORS. Good examples and glad you guys took the time to explain

all questions. Glad it wasn't powerpoint based and more open discussion. Really liked the content and

structure of the class. Good explanations of (SEG).  Great presentation via zoom. And really glad it wasnt powerpoint. enjoyed all the open discussions -40 HR FTO San Francisco PD


I got a ton of useful tools and a "big picture" rendering of the current state of background work from the two instructors- who really have a vast store of pertinent information they shared with us.  I would like to give both Matt and Jim a BIG thank you for their help this week! -self sponsored


Great class overall especially for it being a remote class. This was my second 40-hr FTO school in my

career, and this was better than the first. Picked up good techniques and learned the POST way of

completing a DOR. -40 HR FTO Carlsbad PD


I learned a great deal over the past five days. Having the course online made taking the course much easier

for me and I felt all three instructors were very knowledgeable and brought forth a great deal of knowledge

and experience that will best aid me in my position as a field training officer. -Mountain View PD

 

I enjoyed the class. I though the online class was going to be long and tedious. The class was put together well and did a good job in preventing Zoom fatigue. Thank You. – self sponsored


Instructors Ireland, Sommer, and Mcdevitt did a great job teaching the course. they kept it engaging and I

did not expect this course to go that way. They continually engaged with us and asked for feedback which

kept things interesting - Seaside PD

 

I now understand the background process and what to look for as a reviewer.  I don't really have anything to add, the course was well designed and I enjoyed the format of the class. This was a great class and I would highly recommend it. -Lodi PD


Nothing was lost as a zoom class vs in-person. If anything, this enabled more efficient use of time. Great class. -Sierra County Sheriff's Office



Great class I learned a lot. I know am confident that I will be able to properly train new police officers -40HR FTO Laguna Beach PD


Great class with great instructors who really know what they are talking about. -40 HR FTO Ridgecrest PD 



I was impressed with how clear the background process became with the large amount of information to go through and after such a short amount of time. – self sponsored

 

Thank you so much! I learned enough to "start" doing backgrounds. Great class. -self sponsored

 

I learned how to take on all the complexities of a background investigation from beginning to end including how to put the full packet together. A tremendously interesting, entertaining, and well prepared course I would highly recommend to anyone who needs this training. I learned a great deal more than I thought I would. Thank you. Sincerely. -self sponsored

 

Best zoom training I've had. Very informative and inclusive.  -BIC


The instructors did a great job. I've trained people off and on over the years but have never had training like this and now it all makes sense. It truly makes sense now. – Ridgecrest PD


THIS CLASS WENT SURPRISINGLY WELL. I NEVER HAD A ZOOM CLASS THAT KEPT ME THIS ENGAGED. – 40 HR FTO Carlsbad PD