As a training manager and educator I have watched as many teaching ideas and training
innovations have come and gone. PBL is, in my mind, one of the most sweeping and
revolutionary changes in training and education, and there is no doubt for me that PBL
is a perfect fit with law enforcement. I have never witnessed such results from any other
approach to learning as I have with PBL. Our trainees graduating from this new program
are at higher level out the chute than I have ever seen from trainees under our previous
training models.
It should be emphasized that we have not changed the length of our training, we have
not changed what we train, we have simply changed how we train. The results have
been astounding and rewarding. A training model rooted in problem-based learning has
the potential to change the face of law enforcement with this approach that teaches
decision-making, critical thinking and problem-solving.
A quote from a patrol training officer in North Dakota supports what I have found within
our own program. “The difference (between the PTO and FTO programs) is so drastic
that I can tell which program an officer was trained on simply by the types and numbers
of questions that I am asked.” 4