Front Line Leadership (formerly titled Basic Leadership Academy)

The Arizona POST’s Front Line Leadership (formerly titled the Basic Leadership Academy or BLA) emphasizes contemporary leadership principles and concepts for public safety professionals who have recently;

• Been promoted to Sergeant or Lieutenant
• Are soon-to-be promoted into a front line supervisory position (i.e., waiting list)
• Or assigned as Field Training Officer

Making the transition from police officer to a police supervisor is a challenge. However, such a transition is made simpler with an education on the science of management coupled with the art of leadership. Front Line Leadership or FLL, is designed to build industry knowledge and skills that better enable attendees to successfully transition from a line level employee into a leadership position in the career of public safety. Content will introduce students to the fundamental concepts and skills of professionalism, organizational culture and management, characteristics of effective teams, conflict resolution, motivation, systems thinking, problem solving, and leadership. Possibly the most important and impactful aspect of this course involves the tools that will be provided to cause self-reflection in each attendee. Purposefully designed with self-examining reflective modules, a detailed workshop on personality profile assessment, as well as directed group discussions driven to challenge one's thought process, this training will provide each student the ability to continuously assess and improve upon their own leadership behavior.

Field Training Leadership

Efective October 3, 2022:  FTL has been temporarily suspended given the current staffing shortages in many law enforcement agencies. Please contact [email protected] or [email protected] if you are interested in NAFTO’s 3-day FTO certification.

The Arizona POST Field Training Leadership (FTL) five day course will focus on the Field Training Officer’s role as the first level of leadership within a public safety organization for officers in training.  Curriculum and class participation will emphasize learning and application of leadership concepts and skills. 

AZPOST has partnered with NAFTO (National Association of Field Training Officers) and the Thin Blue Line of Leadership, LLC for this course. The first 3 days will be presented by NAFTO which will result in your Basic FTO certification.  Through guided discussion, case study, small group engagement, and video analysis, this 24-hour course will help the new Field Training Officer adapt to their new role. This course includes multiple levels of knowledge and skills needed for an FTO to be successful in their assignment as a trainer. By the end of this course, participants will begin to fully realize the dedication and commitment an FTO must possess to be successful. This course will help an established police officer begin the personal and professional adjustments necessary to be a successful FTO.

The Thin Blue Line of Leadership, LLC will provide one day of instruction  which will focus on adult learning concepts, decision making, and debriefing scenarios.  This one day of instruction will bring field training better into alignment with 21st century policing ideals, purpose driven policing, and current instruction/learning strategies.

The final day will present Leadership concepts and skills from the AZPOST staff. Course delivery will include power-point presentations, in-class exercises, discussions, and scenario analyses.

Executive Leadership Program

The Arizona POST Executive Leadership Program (ELP) is designed to successfully prepare sworn employees, currently holding the rank of lieutenant or higher, for future promotion. This is an extremely interactive and self-reflective opportunity to gain a ‘competitive edge’ for advancement within your agency and/or to seek future networking opportunities in the greater law enforcement community. Guest lecturers representing municipal government, private industry and law enforcement will deliver thought-provoking experiences and research-driven discussions shaping local, national and global trends in policing. Topics will challenge each executive leader to assess their role in influencing a positive and productive police culture while refining leadership skills.