Student Feedback
Please click on the arrows to read reviews from the following courses
From FTO 40hr in Rohnert Park
"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
"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
"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
“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